Another Chance
by Lady Blade WarAngel
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke have their final battle in Konoha, and somehow, in the aftermath of a violent clash, they end up, as children, in an alternate time. Will things be different for them, or will they still be alone?
1. What The Hell Is Going On?

Another weird fic for you all. It's an Alternate Universe fic. So if you don't like that, don't read this.

SUMMERY: Naruto and Sasuke have their final battle in Konoha, and somehow, in the aftermath of a violent clash, they end up, eight years old, in an alternate reality. Naruto has parents, Sasuke's parents are still alive, and Naruto has an older cousin, who's on the same team as Itachi. Will the two boys be able to live their lives over? Will things be the same in this reality? Have they somehow changed time, or will they have to go back to a time where they're both alone again?

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Another Chance.

Chapter One – What The Hell Is Going On?

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Sasuke and Naruto faced each other on top of the Hokage Mountain. The village of Konoha was a mess below them. Sasuke glared as he powered up a Chidori. Naruto formed a Rasengan, knowing this was all or nothing. The two were both beaten up badly. They'd been fighting for long enough. They were almost out of chakra, and their allies were nowhere to be seen. It was just the two of them. Now was the moment to either bring Sasuke back to them or lose him for good.

They charged at each other, attacks raised, ready to plunge their own balls of chakra into each other's chests. At the last moment, Naruto stopped. He allowed his Rasengan to die out and stood there in front of Sasuke, arms outstretched. Sasuke stopped in his tracks.

"What the hell are you doing Loser?" Sasuke asked angrily.

"I'm refusing to fight you Sasuke. I won't fight you anymore. Come back to us or not. But I'm not giving up on you. If you want to sever the bond between us go ahead. Now is your chance. I'm not going to fight back." Naruto stated. Sasuke snarled.

"You're bluffing Dobe!" Sasuke yelled, uncharacteristically. He lunged at his closest friend and drove the Chidori through his chest. His eyes went wide, as Naruto stayed blank. He didn't even show an ounce of pain on his face, as Sasuke pulled out his hand. He looked at the blood covered appendage in shock and horror. He looked at Naruto, who was… smiling?

"Why didn't you dodge loser?" Sasuke yelled.

"I... told you... I wasn't... going... to... fight you... Sasuke. I... never... go back... on my word." Naruto whispered out weakly. Naruto fell forward and Sasuke jumped to close the space between them, catching his friend in his arms.

"You... wanted to... kill me Sasuke. Maybe... you got... your wish now." Naruto trailed out weakly.

"I didn't want this. I thought I did but…" Sasuke trailed off. Naruto gave a soft smile.

"If I... could... change things... Sasuke, I'd stop... Orochimaru... from giving you... that curse mark. I'd... do something... to... make things... different." Naruto whispered.

Sasuke barely heard, as he felt a single tear drip down his cheek.

"If I could go back I would stop this." Sasuke whispered softly. Sasuke knew Naruto wasn't going to last much longer.

"I'm sorry Naruto. I'm truly sorry." Sasuke said softly. He knew this would be his last chance to say it.

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Little did either of the two teens know that another force was working at this moment, the great Kyubi was locked in his cage, which was becoming darker.

"_That foolish human! He should not have let that brat kill him. I must stop this if I wish to live."_ Kyubi growled out in his cage.

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Sasuke looked down at Naruto, and suddenly noticed that blood wasn't leaking from his friend any longer, but chakra, blood red chakra.

"_The fox is interfering."_ Sasuke thought, as he kept hold of Naruto's lifeless body. He felt something happening, but he couldn't figure out what was going on. He had the feeling of weightlessness and he noticed he and Naruto were surrounded by a black vortex.

He saw Naruto's eyes open, but it was the Kyubi red that stared at him.

"Foolish brat. You were not supposed to hold on to him. Now my jutsu will change." Kyubi's voice hissed out of Naruto's mouth.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked.

"You will soon see Uchiha. Be grateful for a second chance." The Kyubi stated back. That was when everything went black.

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Sasuke awoke to find himself looking at a ceiling. He felt a quilt over himself and he felt warm and safe. He blinked his eyes blearily and looked around. He noticed a poster of a ramen bowl on the wall, as well as a calendar. He couldn't see the date properly, his eyes bleary from sleep.

He looked around the room some more and finally noticed that there was a bed next to his, with a blond mop of spiky hair sticking out from under an orange quilt. Sasuke felt shock overwhelm him.

"_I thought Naruto was dead. I killed him didn't I? Kyubi did say something about a second chance."_ Sasuke thought to himself. He got out of the bed, and ran over to the form.

"Naruto!" He exclaimed quietly. He heard his friend groan.

"Sasuke? I wanna sleep some more." Naruto muttered out sleepily. Sasuke shook Naruto again.

"Naruto get up don't you realise what's going on?" Sasuke asked. That was when he noticed his voice seemed different. He couldn't quite figure out how. In fact, his whole viewpoint was different in some way that Sasuke couldn't quite latch on to. Naruto groaned and sat up slowly. Then he stared at Sasuke, then at his hands.

"Sasuke you're a kid!" Naruto yelled.

"And I'm alive!" He added almost as an afterthought. Sasuke stared at Naruto in shock. Then made a realisation as he looked down at his hands. They looked smaller, less hardened by training. He also took note that Naruto also looked like a child.

"You're a kid too Dobe." Sasuke stated obviously.

"How did this happen?" Naruto asked. He felt his chest, looking for the hole that had been made by Chidori, but couldn't find it.

"Kyubi said something about his jutsu changing and that I should be grateful for a second chance." Sasuke said softly. Naruto looked as confused as Sasuke felt.

That was when a knock came at the door, and a red-headed teen barged into the room. Both boys yelled in shock, as they stared at the girl.

"Hey little cousin. Since you two are awake, your Mom told me to come and get you for breakfast. So you two get dressed. Oh Sasuke, your Mom is gonna come and pick you up later. Naruto, your Dad left already but don't worry too much he said he'll come and train with you this afternoon." The girl said. She made to leave the room when Naruto decided to speak.

"What the hell is going on?" Naruto asked.

"Watch your mouth Naruto. Geez, you two been practicing swears instead of jutsu?" The girl stated, giving the two a pointed look. Then, just as though she'd recalled something important, the girl's look changed and she spoke again.

"Sasuke, your brother asked me to tell you that he's gonna meet you at the house this afternoon so you can go with him to the training grounds okay? He's got training with me and Hana and Anko-Sensei this morning, but he said he promised you." The girl stated. Then she left the room.

Sasuke and Naruto stared at the girl incredulously.

"Naruto? Do you even know anything about your parents?" Sasuke asked softly.

"I know my Dad was the Fourth Hokage. I only found _that_ out recently. Nobody told me anything about my Mom." Naruto replied back. Sasuke nodded.

"That girl is… a new addition or something. I didn't know you had a cousin." Sasuke quipped.

"Neither did I." Naruto whispered back. Both boys were staring at each other in silence and wondering what on earth was going on.

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The red-haired girl made her way down the stairs and looked into the kitchen.

"Auntie Kushina?" The girl called out softly. The red-haired mother of Naruto looked at the teenager kindly, as she placed a plate of pancakes on the table.

"What's wrong Tenshiko?" Kushina asked gently.

"Naruto and Sasuke were acting really weirdly a few minutes ago. I walked into Naruto's room and they looked as though they had no idea who I was." Tenshiko stated softly. Then she shook her head rapidly from side to side, as though clearing her thoughts.

"Sorry Auntie. It doesn't matter. It's probably something stupid. Maybe I just caught them waking up. I'm just being stupid." Tenshiko stated vigorously.

"If you say so sweetie. Oh and remember we're going to go and see how Naruto is doing at the academy this evening." Kushina reminded as Tenshiko made her way to the front door.

"I wouldn't miss it Auntie. I'll be back before then anyway." The teen said stoically before pulling on her standard ninja sandals and calling out a goodbye as she ran out of the door.

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Okay all. That's the end of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Please R&R and let me know what you think.


	2. Things Are Definitely Different

Okay here's the next chapter of Another Chance. I hope you enjoy it. I'm going to try and make it different from other time-travel fics. I don't know if I'll succeed though. Thanks to all of you who reviewed. Or those who added me to their faves or author alerts.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Two – Things Are Definitely Different.

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Naruto and Sasuke got dressed. Sasuke was wearing the clothes he'd always worn when he was a teenager. He no longer wore black. Naruto was wearing an orange t-shirt with the leaf symbol on front, and black shorts. The two boys walked down the stairs and found their way to the kitchen. The aroma of pancakes leading their noses in the right direction. The two boys looked at who they knew had to be Naruto's mother. She gave them a huge smile and placed plates in front of them.

"Good morning boys. Tenshiko told me you two are acting a little weird today." The red-haired female stated in amusement. Sasuke and Naruto couldn't help but look at each other nervously.

"Naruto? Is something wrong?" She asked kindly.

"Uhm… nothing's wrong." Naruto said bluntly. The female gave another grin as she placed strawberries, chocolate chips, maple syrup and whipped cream on the table.

"I'm your Mom, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. I know when something's wrong with you. So does Tenshiko. She's been with us since you were a tiny baby." The woman stated cheerfully.

"Naruto and I had a fight because he woke me up yelling about Ramen in his sleep." Sasuke shot out. It was true. At least it had been true in their time. They had had a fight just like that as Genin. That had been before Sasuke had left to join Orochimaru however. Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Okay. How many times are you going to argue about that now?" The redhead asked. A twinkle of amusement shone in her eyes.

"Sasuke? Your mom will be here to pick you up soon, so hurry up and eat your breakfast okay?" She added. Sasuke nodded and both boys ate quickly. They needed to talk before Sasuke's mother came to pick him up after all.

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Fugaku Uchiha looked at his wife as she cleaned the dishes from breakfast.

"Why do you let Sasuke spend so much time with _that_ child?" Fugaku asked.

"Are you trying to tell me that you dislike Sasuke spending time with the son of the Hokage?" Mikoto replied. Not wanting to have the same argument with her husband again.

"If he were a normal child then no. But he isn't. He's the carrier of Kyubi." Fugaku hissed.

"Yes Fugaku. The carrier. _Not_ the Kyubi. He's just a little boy. Both he and Sasuke have been best friends ever since they were babies. I don't know why it bothers you so much." Mikoto stated. Before Fugaku could reply, Mikoto left the room.

"_I'll just go and talk to Kushina for a while."_ Mikoto thought to herself as she left the house.

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Sasuke and Naruto were looking at each other in what seemed to be Naruto's 'room' in a home the blond had never known.

"Apparently we're best friends." Sasuke stated.

"Well that won't be hard to act, because we were always best friends." Naruto replied.

"My family are still alive." Sasuke said softly.

"That's something we can make sure stays that way." Naruto stated.

"You have a cousin, who's on the same team as Itachi. Which means Itachi wasn't trying to be a genius at the academy. So things have definitely changed. I don't think Itachi is going to kill the clan. If he's on a team with your cousin, then he isn't in Anbu. Which means he'll never get the order unless he joins." Sasuke quipped. Naruto nodded.

"Unless he joins now. But if he's on a Genin team then it's not likely. Which means that the massacre will go ahead with someone else doing the killing, or that the Uchiha clan has never tried a coup on the village." Naruto added.

"We have to keep an eye on what is going on in both our homes. I mean, your father is the Hokage. If there are plans to take over the village, your father will know. You might hear something about it. I'll listen well at my home. My father is the head of the Uchiha clan. If there is a coup planned, he'll know about it. They'll have someone else within Anbu." Sasuke told Naruto wryly.

"We have to act like kids Sasuke. It's going to be hard." Naruto replied.

"But there are things we can change." Naruto added.

"Like what?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, obviously, the massacre of your clan. But also, Orochimaru giving you the curse mark. Haku and Zabuza. Maybe we can stop Neji's father from being killed." Naruto replied.

"We could cut Orochimaru down in that forest and make sure he doesn't kill the Third." Sasuke said softly.

"We need to know more first. We can't just act hastily. We need a plan and information." Naruto quipped. Both boys nodded. They hoped they could do the things they wanted to do.

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Kushina heard a knock at the door, and opened it to see Mikoto.

"Hi Mikoto! Come in!" Kushina exclaimed happily. Mikoto nodded and the two walked into the kitchen.

"How are things?" Kushina asked.

"Horrible. I don't understand why Fugaku is so against the two boys being friends." Mikoto stated.

"Naruto is a good boy. I'll wager there are worse behaved children around, but Fugaku seems dead set against Sasuke even talking to Naruto." Mikoto added sadly. Kushina sighed.

"I have to admit that I'm glad Minato isn't like that. Naruto and Sasuke are like a pair of brothers. I wouldn't want to see them torn apart. I know Fugaku dislikes Minato. I didn't think it would spread to Naruto." Kushina said gently.

"No. He says… He says it's to do with the Kyubi. He says he doesn't like the idea of Sasuke hanging around with a Jinchuriki." Mikoto replied. Kushina stared open-mouthed and Mikoto sighed.

"I know it's ridiculous. Naruto isn't a demon. He's not a regular kid, obviously, but he's definitely not a demon. I've told Fugaku he's being ridiculous. But he won't listen." Mikoto added. Kushina looked devastated.

"I hate that people think that way. Obito-Kun gave his life to complete that jutsu. He even knocked out Minato so that he couldn't interfere. I wish Fugaku would appreciate that sacrifice. Obito was his nephew right?" Kushina questioned. Mikoto nodded.

"Don't worry Kushina. I won't let Fugaku split them apart. Sasuke never had a real friend before Naruto. I'm not taking away his only friend because Fugaku is being stubborn." Mikoto stated sternly.

"There are rumours of a coup being planned Mikoto." Kushina whispered. Mikoto nodded.

"I've heard. If Fugaku is planning something like that, he hasn't told me. I would definitely advise him against such an action. It would bring disgrace to the Uchiha name. Plus the very idea of them betraying the village makes me feel sick inside. I dread the day something like that happens." Mikoto replied, also whispering.

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Naruto and Sasuke had heard the whole conversation. They had heard the door and had snuck down to listen to their mothers talk. Now they snuck back upstairs to discuss what they'd heard.

"There's no way I'm letting my father take away any friend of mine." Sasuke hissed angrily.

"Sasuke your Mom won't let that happen." Naruto replied.

"I know my Father. He'll try something. There's something bothering me though." Sasuke stated. Naruto waited for Sasuke to continue.

"My Mother was in on the coup in our timeline. I suppose my Father didn't trust her in this timeline. She's on too friendly terms with your Mother." Sasuke finished. Naruto nodded, looking deep in thought.

"I don't think she was lying about it. You know your Mom better than I do. Do you think she's lying?" Naruto asked. Sasuke shook his head.

"No. She wasn't lying. She doesn't like to lie. She would've tried to steer the conversation elsewhere." Sasuke replied. Naruto nodded.

"It looks like maybe your Dad isn't planning on doing anything that involves your family. Maybe that's why he doesn't want me hanging around with you. I am the Hokage's son. If he's planning to overthrow the Hokage, maybe he thinks it'd be best for you not to be with me." Naruto stated calmly.

"I'm going to listen out for anything until I see you. If it's that important, I'll sneak over here. Make sure to leave your window open in case. If you hear anything, I'll have my window open." Sasuke stated.

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"We're in the academy together. We'll be able to sit next to each other. If there's anything weird going on, we'll be able to write it down and pass it to each other before lessons. Discuss what we found somewhere during break or lunch. I have a bad feeling about all this Sasuke. Like something is going to go badly wrong." Naruto quipped. Neither boy wanted to speak about such things after Naruto's statement.

"Well we know you still have Kyubi inside of you. Maybe we can ask him some questions." Sasuke said softly.

"If I get the chance I'll ask him. Otherwise we'll have to wait until we're by ourselves. Apart from the fact that it'll look weird around other people, we also have to determine the strength of our own bodies. We're kids again Sasuke. We need to figure out what we can and can't take." Naruto replied. Sasuke nodded in agreement.

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"Tenshiko, you're not throwing your kunai straight." Tenshiko turned to look at Anko Mitarashi.

"Sorry Anko-Sensei. I'm a little distracted today." Tenshiko replied. Next to her, Itachi gave his friend a strange look. On her other side was her other teammate, Hana Inuzuka. Usually, it would be two boys and a girl on a team, but of course their team had been uneven. That didn't stop the three working together well.

"In a real battle your opponent would kill you with your 'distraction' Tenshiko. You need to be more prepared." Anko replied. Tenshiko nodded her head, as she looked down at the ground, shame-faced. She knew her teacher was right, yet somehow, the look on Naruto and Sasuke's faces, when she'd walked into the room, had really gotten to her.

"_It was almost as if they didn't have a clue who I was."_ Tenshiko thought to herself.

"Okay team four, you're dismissed for today." Anko said kindly. The group nodded and Anko left. Hana gave Itachi and Tenshiko a grin.

"Hey are you two coming to the academy today? I'm coming with my mother to see how Kiba's been doing." Hana stated. Her dog barked happily next to her.

"Of course. I can't miss Naruto's first review right?" Tenshiko replied. Itachi also nodded in acknowledgement. Hana nodded.

"I'll see you two later then." Hana stated, before running off.

"Something's bothering you Tenshiko." Itachi commented.

"I'm worried about Sasuke and Naruto. They were acting strangely this morning." Tenshiko stated.

"Things are strange at my house also. My father has meetings with the other clan members. But he orders me to stay at home. I followed him one night and..." Itachi trailed off. He looked at Tenshiko, who waited for him to finish the sentence.

"They're discussing a coup Tenshiko. They want to kill your Uncle and take over. I don't know what to do Tenshiko. I don't know whether to tell Hokage-Sama or just keep my mouth shut. My father hasn't involved my mother, but I'm scared of him involving Sasuke. He wants Shisui to help with the coup, because he's in Anbu, but Shisui refused." Itachi looked at Tenshiko, a tortured expression in his eyes, hoping she could help him face this dilemma.

"We should tell my Uncle. If we don't then he might be killed, and that is something I don't want to risk. Uncle will know what to do about this better then we will. Besides, if he knows, casualties can be avoided." Tenshiko said softly. Itachi nodded.

"You know I trust your opinion above all others Tenshiko. I stayed back in the academy so we could graduate together. You and Shisui were my first friends. I don't want this to get out of hand." Itachi stated. Tenshiko nodded, and the pair walked off towards the Namikaze home.

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Naruto and Sasuke had spent time discussing how to code their messages to each other when Naruto's bedroom door opened. Naruto and Sasuke looked up to see Tenshiko and Itachi standing there.

"Hi Aniki." Sasuke said softly. Itachi gave him a strange look.

"We're going to go train for a little while. Then we're coming back so that you, Mother and I can go with Naruto, Tenshiko, Auntie Kushina and Uncle Minato to your academy review." Itachi stated. Sasuke nodded and got up, dusting his shorts off and getting ready to leave.

"Sasuke? You didn't ask if Father was coming." Itachi stated.

"Why ask when I know he isn't coming?" Sasuke said coldly. In his head he felt like slapping himself for talking without thinking first. Itachi's eyebrow raised and he looked at Tenshiko.

"How about Naruto and I come with you? We can all train together." Tenshiko stated. Naruto grinned widely and nodded. Sasuke moved closer to Naruto which practically counted as agreeing. So the group left the house after shouting out a goodbye to Mikoto and Kushina.

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Naruto and Sasuke were watching carefully as Itachi and Tenshiko gave them training instructions. Neither Itachi nor Tenshiko knew how well Naruto could hear when he wanted to. He had always had sensitive hearing but he had no idea why. So while he and Sasuke pretended to spar, Naruto listened to Itachi and Tenshiko's conversation.

"Do you think that bloodshed can really be avoided Tenshiko?" Itachi asked softly. Tenshiko nodded.

"I think so. Uncle wouldn't want to see anything truly awful happen. I'm not sure about Danzo though. That old bastard is practically evil. It would suit him for the Uchiha clan to be wiped out. I'm almost glad that you held yourself back. If you hadn't you'd have graduated at age eight and probably ended up in ROOT. You know Danzo has complete control over ROOT and never discusses their actions with Uncle Minato." Tenshiko whispered back. Itachi nodded this time.

"Danzo is dangerous. Shisui isn't in ROOT thankfully. But this is all dangerous Tenshiko. We haven't the choice but to tell Hokage-Sama about all this. He's clever enough to know how to avoid bloodshed. Hopefully we won't need to worry about Danzo. At least for now." Itachi replied.

Naruto gave Sasuke a blink, then a wink, to signal that he'd found out something interesting from the conversation.

"Naruto, Sasuke, we'd better head back. Your reviews will be happening in an hour or so." Tenshiko said kindly. Naruto and Sasuke both pretended to be excited about the prospect but they really wanted to talk about what Naruto had heard.

"Come on Sasuke. Mother will be at home now. You need to get changed out of those clothes, they're covered in mud." Itachi stated stoically. Sasuke nodded.

"See you later Naruto." Sasuke said. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah see you later Sasuke." Naruto replied. Both of them were led in opposite directions.

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That evening, when Sasuke and Naruto saw each other again, Naruto was dressed in a clean pair of black shorts and a white t-shirt exactly like one Sasuke remembered him wearing when he was younger. Sasuke was dressed in his usual outfit of course. Itachi had carried Sasuke on his back to the academy. Sasuke could see Naruto being carried on Tenshiko's back.

"_Things have definitely changed."_ Sasuke thought to himself, as Itachi let him down and he ran over to Naruto. Naruto grinned as Tenshiko let him down. The two boys stood together and looked around. The outside of the school was filled with students that they'd known as children. Naruto took note of Hinata standing next to her father, blushing furiously, as always. Shino was with his parents being silent. Shikamaru was on his father's back, sleeping as he usually was. His mother stood beside them. Chouji and his father were eating while Chouji's mother watched over them. Ino, however, seemed to be anxious and looking for someone. Naruto gave Sasuke a nudge.

"She's looking for Sakura." Naruto whispered. Sasuke nodded.

That was when Ino started jumping up and down happily, and pointing out to her father. Inoichi Yamanaka ruffled the girl's hair and sent her off. Sasuke and Naruto watched as Ino ran up to Sakura and hugged her. Sakura was stood with her mother. Neither boy could see her father.

"I wonder where Sakura's Dad is?" Naruto asked Sasuke. Both boys felt a hand on their shoulders. They looked up at Minato.

"Boys, be nice to Sakura. She lost her father in a mission a few weeks ago. So don't tease her." Minato said softly. Sasuke and Naruto both felt shock overwhelm them, but they refused to let it show. They nodded and Minato ruffled their hair affectionately.

"Good boys." He said happily.

Sasuke and Naruto walked away from their families a bit before they started talking.

"Things are totally different. I mean I don't remember Sakura's father being a ninja." Sasuke said softly.

"She never mentioned her father Sasuke. She mentioned her Mom all the time but never her Dad. Do you think we could've missed it? All that time and we never knew she'd lost her Dad?" Naruto asked. Both boys felt a sharp stab of guilt within them as they wondered how well they had known their teammate.

"Well this time around we can do better Naruto. You said it yourself." Sasuke stated. Naruto nodded.

"There is a coup planned. Your brother knows about it and he and Tenshiko are going to tell my dad." Naruto stated formally. Sasuke nodded.

"We need to try and find out how they're going to deal with it." Sasuke whispered to Naruto as someone walked past them. Naruto nodded.

"I wonder if Iruka Sensei is here." Naruto said sadly.

That was when the pair saw their old Sensei. Iruka Umino was talking to the Sandaime. Naruto couldn't help but grin and run over, with Sasuke in hot pursuit.

"_He better not say something totally stupid."_ Sasuke thought to himself.

"Iruka-Sensei! Jiji!" Naruto ran up and hugged them both. Iruka ruffled Naruto's hair affectionately, as Sasuke had always remembered the Chunin being with Naruto. Sandaime just laughed.

"Naruto! You shouldn't be calling Sandaime-San Jiji." Minato said.

"But he is!" Naruto stated then slapped a hand over his mouth. The three men just laughed. Sasuke shook his head.

"Hey Sasuke. Are you coming with us to get some Ramen later?" Minato asked the Uchiha boy kindly.

"Itachi's coming too if you want to go." Minato added. Sasuke looked at Naruto who nodded and grinned.

"Okay Hokage-Sama." Sasuke said formally. He judged his reply on what he knew his father and mother would've expected of him. Well, more his father then his mother.

"How many times Sasuke, just call me Namikaze-San if you can't call me Uncle Minato." The male said jokingly. Sasuke's face went bright red at that comment.

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Sasuke and Naruto listened carefully to everything that was said about them. Both weren't too surprised by what they heard as they listened to what Iruka was saying to their families.

"Sasuke is top of the class in everything Uchiha-San. He's very bright and very skilled." Iruka stated to Mikoto.

"Naruto is bright and skilled but lacks motivation. He's always good at any physical training but he never applies himself in class." Iruka told Minato and Kushina. The boys gave each other a nod. Both signalling that they wanted to keep things the same way. After all, they wanted to be put on the same team again. They saw Sakura's mother speaking to one of the teachers. Girls and boys were separated for certain classes. Naruto once again started listening out.

"Haruno-San, Sakura seems to be very shy. Her intellect is second to none but she isn't confident enough to just use it. Her physical training is average, but she's not applying herself physically." The woman said. Naruto looked at Sasuke.

"It's the same as before." Naruto whispered. Sasuke nodded, knowing that Naruto was talking about Sakura's grades. They both knew she hadn't been the most physical person in the academy.

xXxXxXx LATER THAT NIGHT xXxXxXx

Naruto snuck downstairs to listen to his parents talking. They were in the kitchen and Naruto had promised he'd listen out for any information. He snuck into the corridor and to the kitchen as quietly as possible and listened outside the kitchen.

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"So it's true then?" Kushina asked sadly. Minato nodded.

"Yeah it's true. Fugaku Uchiha is planning a coup. Itachi says he's going to try and figure out what their plan is exactly and tell me." Minato replied.

"He shouldn't have to choose between his family and Konoha." Kushina said softly.

"I know Kushina. I know he shouldn't have to. I think he wants to avoid bloodshed as much as we do." Minato quipped. Kushina nodded.

"I just hope that we can avoid bloodshed. I don't want Naruto and Sasuke torn apart by this. I don't want to lose my best friend." Kushina uttered.

"You didn't mention Itachi and Tenshiko's friendship." Minato said.

"I don't need to. Those two have been friends ever since Tenshiko came to live with us when she was two. They'll never lose each other." Kushina replied. Minato nodded.

"I think we both need to go and get some sleep." Kushina said softly. Minato didn't even need to answer. Both of them stood up from the kitchen table. Kushina blinked in confusion and Minato gave her a strange look.

"It's nothing. I just thought I heard something creak. It must be the wind outside." Kushina said softly. They went up to bed and were soon fast asleep.

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Naruto quickly got himself back to his room and crawled into bed.

"_Maybe because Itachi has a friend outside the Uchiha clan, he's better off."_ Naruto thought to himself as he heard his parents going to bed.

xXxXxXx THE NEXT DAY xXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke were at the academy, waiting for their lessons to start. They were sat in their same old seats. Sasuke was next to the window, and Naruto was sat next to him. No matter how many girls seemed to want Naruto to move, one glare from Sasuke was enough to shut them up and make them move on. Ino and Sakura sat behind Sasuke and Naruto. Shikamaru sat next to Ino. Naruto saw that everyone was sat where they had sat before. That was when Iruka came in and everyone started paying attention. Naruto sat up straight and listened to what Iruka was saying. He felt Sasuke's hand clasp his and Naruto felt the piece of paper left behind. He peered at the note and gave the barest trace of a grin.

_Hey Dobe,_

_You never used to pay attention in class before. Why are you interested all of a sudden?_

Naruto quickly scribbled on the back of the note while Iruka wasn't looking.

_Don't worry Teme. _

_I won't blow our plan. But I think I should've paid more attention to what Iruka-Sensei was saying. Besides I kinda miss hearing him talk. After he died I really missed him, so spending time paying attention is the least I can do right?_

Naruto gave Sasuke the note the same way Sasuke had given him the note before. Sasuke read it and smiled. He nodded and used the tiniest flame to burn the note. Nobody needed to know that Iruka had died in their time. A lot of people had died in their time. Naruto and Sasuke wanted to concentrate on making things right now.

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Okay all, that's the end of chapter two. I hope you enjoyed it. Please R&R and let me know what you think and I'll try and update as soon as possible.


	3. A Distraction For The Uchiha

Okay all, here's the third chapter of Another Chance. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and added me to their faves and alerts lists. It's very much appreciated.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Three – A Distraction For The Uchiha.

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Naruto and Sasuke had been gathering information for the last week. Sasuke had learned that Shisui was to be controlled with a control seal, created especially by the Uchiha Clan, to spy on Anbu. Naruto had learned that his father was planning to challenge Fugaku Uchiha to a fight. Winner takes all. Of course if Fugaku accepted then Minato knew that it would be a fair one on one fight. If he refused, maybe his clan would lose some respect for him and that would be enough to quell a coup. At least for now. Sasuke disagreed as the two spoke about it.

"My father won't agree to a match. I'm sure Itachi will tell Minato-San that." Sasuke replied.

"What do you think will happen?" Naruto asked. The two were sat by the tree swing in the academy playground. No one ever walked over to them there. Most children had been told that they were not to play with Naruto. However there were a few exceptions. Kiba, Shikamaru, Shino and Chouji frequently spoke to the boys. Along with Ino, Sakura and Hinata. But generally everyone knew that to mess with Naruto was to mess with Sasuke. Just like to mess with Sasuke was to mess with Naruto. They were inseparable. At the end of each day, Naruto and Sasuke were picked up by Tenshiko and Itachi. They would walk to Ichiraku Ramen and the boys would be treated by their elder siblings, then they would usually walk to Naruto's home or to one of the village training grounds. Of course, there were the rare occasions when Itachi would lead them to one of the Uchiha estate training grounds. Both boys almost wished they would go to the Uchiha estate training grounds. They needed more information about the coup.

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That afternoon, the boys got their wish. As they were walking, Itachi started taking the lead, meaning they were going to an Uchiha estate training ground. They arrived and soon enough the boys were training. However, Tenshiko had Naruto sparring with her, and Sasuke was sparring with Itachi. Both boys held back so that they seemed weaker than Tenshiko and Itachi. After all, they had all these techniques that they'd perfected in the future, but using them now would blow their cover. Naruto was supposed to be dodging kunai. However he got a jolt of energy from the fox, and he lost his concentration. A kunai slipped through his defences and slashed his right shoulder. Tenshiko's eyes went wide in horror.

"Oh my god Naruto, are you alright?" Tenshiko yelled frantically. Itachi and Sasuke stopped their own sparring session and Sasuke ran over to Naruto. Seeing the blood slip through his friend's fingers, from the wound that he was trying to cover up, bought back too many memories.

"I'll be okay. I'll go and get a bandage from Auntie Mikoto." Naruto said quietly. He'd taken note of the look on Sasuke's face, and he knew that his friend would have nightmares tonight. Before Tenshiko, Itachi or Sasuke could offer to go with him, Naruto was gone.

Naruto walked round to the Uchiha clan main house. He went inside without thinking of knocking. It was an old habit that he'd acquired when he'd been Sasuke's teammate. After all, in their timeline, Sasuke and Naruto had both lived alone. Barging in and out of each other's homes was something they did on a regular basis. This time Naruto hadn't even considered the ramifications. Naruto walked in to the kitchen only to find that Mikoto wasn't there. After being around Sasuke for so long, he knew exactly where the bandages were kept. That hadn't changed. Mainly because Sasuke had never changed the position of anything in the house after the death of his parents. He cleaned the slash neatly and placed a large bandage on his shoulder. That was when he heard voices.

Naruto walked towards the voices and found himself at the doors of what Sasuke called the family meeting room. He could hear the voices clearly now.

"Fugaku, Shisui is in our control now. We need to stop the Hokage. Both your son and your wife are traitors Fugaku. If they are giving the Hokage information then our plan will fail." A male said ominously.

"We won't fail. We'll carry out the plan tomorrow night. We need the Hokage distracted." Fugaku stated firmly.

"There is an easy way to distract the Hokage. Take his son. You don't even need to kill the boy. Just hide him somewhere. The Hokage will be so busy searching for his child that he won't even consider what we're up to." Another man said. Naruto's eyes went wide. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look at Shisui. His eyes were glazed over. It was subtle, the only reason that Naruto had noticed is because he had been looking for the signs of control. He didn't have much of a chance against Shisui of the Mirage by himself. His body was too young and inexperienced to fight back. The screen door slid open and Fugaku Uchiha was staring down at him.

"Hello Naruto. It seems you've made things convenient." Fugaku stated. Naruto didn't know how to answer that comment. That was when he felt a sharp blow to the back of his neck and everything went black.

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It was getting dark now. Sasuke was worried. He knew Naruto and he knew Naruto didn't just wander off and stare at trees for hours. Naruto's focus was training. Sasuke had started to worry when Naruto didn't come back after an hour. Tenshiko and Itachi were both starting to worry now that it was dark. The group walked back to Sasuke's house only to see Mikoto in the kitchen, holding a bloodied cloth and no one else in the room.

"Who hurt themselves?" Mikoto asked.

"Naruto. He got a cut on his shoulder. He said he was coming here so you could help him fix it up mother." Itachi replied seriously. Mikoto looked troubled.

"That would explain the missing bandages and the bloody cloth. But why is Naruto's shirt here on the ground if he patched himself up?" Mikoto asked. Sasuke felt a cold shiver of fear run through him when he saw Naruto's shirt. It was his favourite and Sasuke knew Naruto would never leave it lying around any house.

That was when Fugaku Uchiha walked into the kitchen.

"Fugaku? Have you seen Naruto today?" Mikoto asked.

"Yes he came in with a cut shoulder. You weren't here so I patched the boy up and sent him on his way." Fugaku stated. Mikoto looked at the shirt in her hands fearfully.

"Was he not wearing his shirt when he left?" Mikoto asked.

"No I told him to take one of Sasuke's shirts. After all, the son of the Hokage can't be seen running around in torn clothing." Fugaku stated. Sasuke knew his father was lying. He knew it from the bottom of his soul. For the first time in his life, Sasuke felt a deep hatred for his own father.

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Naruto awoke to find himself in the sewer of his mind. He was looking at Kyubi, who seemed ominous.

"Kyubi am I unconscious?" Naruto asked. He immediately noticed that he was in his teen body again.

"How am I a teenager here?" Naruto added.

"Because you were a teenager when we travelled back through time. In your mind you will always look like this until you see your appearance change again." Kyubi replied.

"So I've been knocked out and locked up somewhere and my parents are going to freak out. They won't even know what Fugaku is planning." Naruto hissed.

"Well your friend, the Uchiha brat, is sure to figure out that his father is up to something. It's in the brat's nature isn't it?" Kyubi questioned. Naruto nodded.

"What was it you wanted when you did that weird tug? I got my arm slashed because of you!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Well I wanted to inform you that this is in fact your timeline. However the jutsu that bought you here caused a few time ripple changes. Things like your parents being alive. Also your cousin. If I remember correctly, your cousin was murdered by Orochimaru when he fled the village. She threatened to expose him." Kyubi replied.

"How do you know about this? How old was I?" Naruto asked.

"I know everything that is happening. My senses reach out and capture everything in the air. That and I can also hear everything that you hear. As a baby, you had no comprehension. However, I did. You were not even a year old when Tenshiko Uzumaki was murdered. She was six. However, she obviously wasn't killed because of the fact that your parents are alive. It must have changed the course of things." Kyubi stated.

Naruto sighed.

"So I have to wait until I wake up before I can do anything." Naruto commented irritably.

"I'm afraid so brat." Kyubi replied. Naruto worried his lip a little between his teeth.

"Can I at least change the scenery?" Naruto asked.

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Sasuke had gone up to his room once Itachi and Tenshiko had left the house to look for Naruto. His mother was getting ready to leave the house to go and inform Kushina that Naruto was missing. Sasuke wanted to go with her, but he wanted to check one thing before he did go. He opened his wardrobe and counted all his shirts, hanging on the railing. Not one was missing. That meant one thing. Sasuke had been right and his father had lied about Naruto. Of course that left only one question in Sasuke's mind now. What had his father done with Naruto?

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Okay all that was this chappie of Another Chance. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please R&R and tell me what you think and I'll try and update as soon as I can.


	4. Coup De Tat? Part I

Okay all, here's the fourth chapter of Another Chance. I hope you all like it. Thanks to all of you who read and reviewed and added me to your faves and alerts lists. I really appreciate it.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Four – Coup De Tat? Part I

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Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze was hopping from tree to tree looking for any trace of her seven year old son. Her instincts told her that something was very wrong but she couldn't act on it the way she normally would because she wasn't sure quite what made this situation as bad as it felt.

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Itachi found Sasuke looking into his closet blankly.

"Ototou?" Itachi questioned softly. It seemed to break Sasuke from his trance. Sasuke looked at Itachi.

"Father lied Aniki." Sasuke said quietly.

"What do you mean Sasuke?" Itachi asked firmly.

"None of my shirts are gone. He never gave one to Naruto. So he isn't telling the truth about it. If he isn't telling the truth about that then what else isn't Father telling us the truth about?" Sasuke asked. Sasuke wanted to make it seem like he was curious and frightened, rather than pointing out obvious facts. After all, he was supposed to be seven. Itachi glared at the wall.

"I don't know Sasuke, but I intend to find out." Itachi replied. With that, Itachi had left the room.

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Tenshiko was searching through every nook and cranny she could find on the Uchiha estate. She knew Naruto wouldn't wonder off by himself. It wasn't like him to do such a thing. The boy she knew would never want to hurt his parents in such a way. She carried on with her search and found Uchiha clan members outside a bunker. Itachi glaring at one of them. Then she took note that they were arguing and the one that Itachi was arguing with was his own father, Fugaku Uchiha.

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Minato Namikaze was sat in his office feeling useless. He'd sent Kakashi to search for Naruto, knowing that this might just be the point that the Uchiha clan were looking for to distract him. He hated himself for it, but if he left his office and went looking he was almost positive that the coup would start. He prayed for news every second as he waited.

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Itachi glared viciously at his father.

"I know you took Naruto Father! He's just a little child! He's Sasuke's best friend! How could you do this?" Itachi yelled angrily. Fugaku glared back at his son.

"How could you possibly say that Itachi? The boy probably wandered off somewhere." Fugaku stated calmly.

"Without a shirt?" Itachi questioned angrily.

"I told you that I gave him one of Sasuke's shirts." Fugaku replied.

"Except that you didn't give him one of Sasuke's shirts! Sasuke was worried when he looked in his closet and didn't find any of his shirts missing! Not even one!" Itachi exclaimed. Fugaku glared angrily at his son. Before Itachi could react, Fugaku had knocked him unconscious and told his other clan members to place him in the cell with Naruto.

None of them had noticed Tenshiko watching everything from the trees. She glared angrily as she silently kept watch over the group that took Itachi into the bunker. Then she could save both Itachi and Naruto. At least that was her hope.

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Naruto awoke feeling frozen. His skin was ice cold. Then he remembered that he wasn't wearing a shirt. He was shaking with the cold when the doors to his prison opened and another body was thrown in next to him. The doors shut again, and when Naruto's eyes adjusted to the dark, Naruto saw that it was Itachi who was next to him, and that Itachi was unconscious.

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Fugaku left his unconscious son and went to the Hokage tower with his men. He got past Minato's security and found Minato waiting for him in the Hokage's office.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be looking for your only son?" Fugaku snarled.

"Do I look stupid to you Uchiha? I know what you've been planning. I've been waiting for you to make your move. Now that you have, you're a traitor to this village. The penalty for that is death Fugaku. Are you prepared to pay the price?" Minato asked calmly. Fugaku Uchiha glared angrily and charged at Minato in a rage. Minato dodged as Fugaku used the grand fireball technique and blew a great hole in the side of the wall. The two leapt out of the window and headed to the roof. Both launched attacks at each other. Their fight had begun.

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Tenshiko waited until the guards were completely unprepared for her and then launched her own strike against them. She used sleep gas pellets to knock the guards out, and then she snuck into the bunker, where she saw Naruto trying to wake Itachi.

"It's okay Naruto. We need to get out of here." Tenshiko said gently. Naruto looked up at her gratefully and together they managed to get Itachi on to her back. As they left, Naruto and Tenshiko saw fire light up the sky over the Hokage tower and both felt a feeling of dread course through them.

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Sasuke and Mikoto both saw the orange glow of fire lighting the sky and headed for the Hokage Tower, both praying that there wasn't a coup happening. Both praying for different reasons as the leapt from tree to tree.

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Kushina saw the great fireball as she was heading back to the Hokage tower to tell Minato she hadn't found a trace of their son. She rushed forward and saw a group of Shinobi, including Kakashi and some others, engaging in a battle against Uchiha clan males. She felt someone land next to her and saw Mikoto and Sasuke. Sasuke looked at the battle with horror and disgust on his young face. Both women looked at each other, trying to reassure the other, even with the chaos going on around them, they both remembered that they were friends.

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Tenshiko and Naruto were still moving, when someone landed in front of them. She recognised Shisui straight away.

"Shisui?" She asked gently. He swiped for her, a kunai held in his hand.

"Shisui, what's wrong?" Tenshiko asked. She'd known Shisui for a long time. He'd taken her and Itachi for Ramen plenty of times when she was a young child. Shisui's face stayed completely blank. Tenshiko looked at Shisui properly. She noticed his black expression, his slightly glazed eyes and his unwillingness to speak, as well as his attempts to attack her.

"You're under a control seal aren't you?" She questioned softly as Shisui leapt towards her again. Naruto looked up at her, his skin was pale like paper and Tenshiko knew that if she didn't find him somewhere warm and soon, then he'd get ill. All she had to figure out was how to break a control seal.

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Okay all I hope you liked this chapter. I know it was short but I wanted to get it out today. Anywho, please R&R and let me know what you think and I'll try and update as soon as I can.


	5. Coup De Tat? Part II

Okay all here's the next chapter of Another Chance. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, and to all of you who added me to your faves and story alerts. It is much appreciated.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Five – Coup De Tat? Part II

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Minato and Fugaku glared at each other angrily.

"How dare you use my son as a bartering chip." Minato hissed.

"Children can be your greatest weakness Minato." Fugaku stated.

"You have two sons Fugaku." Minato quipped.

"To continue the Uchiha line and to have well-trained weapons a man needs a son." Fugaku replied.

"What about Sasuke?" Minato asked, genuine curiosity shone in his eyes.

"He was lucky." Fugaku stated. Minato bit his lip and threw an effortless punch into Fugaku's gut.

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Sasuke looked at the other fighters. His clan members. He took note of their appearance. Most had a glazed over expression in their eyes. There were only two or three of them that seemed to be fully focused.

"Mother why do most of our clan members look like they're unfocused?" Sasuke asked. Not wanting to tell Kushina and Mikoto that they were obviously being controlled.

"He's right. I can only see three others without a glazed expression. Do you think that they're being controlled?" Kushina asked. Mikoto nodded.

"We need to tell Kakashi. One of his specialities is seals." Kushina said softly. Both females leapt forward, looking for Kakashi in the fray. Sasuke stayed perfectly still having a bad feeling that Naruto wasn't okay.

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Tenshiko was still holding on to Itachi when Shisui struck. His sword came out of its sheath so quickly, that Tenshiko almost hadn't noticed it. She laid Itachi down on the ground, and pulled Naruto over to sit next to him.

"Stay here Naruto. I'm going to lead him away. Once I'm gone go and find help." Tenshiko whispered. Before Naruto could protest, Tenshiko was gone, Shisui followed her and Naruto felt the cold attacking him even more bitterly. He looked at Itachi, who was still unconscious. He checked for the older boy's pulse, finding it strong, he decided to do what he'd been told. After all, without help, he and Itachi were in a bad situation. He had the body of a seven year old, and the same limits. He couldn't protect them properly if someone attacked them. He hid Itachi by shoving the elder Uchiha brother under a bush.

"_Damn he's heavy."_ Naruto thought to himself as he arranged the leaves of the bush to hide Itachi better. Then he left promising himself he'd be back with help in no time at all.

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Sasuke felt a familiar presence heading towards them. He almost let out a sigh of relief as he realised it was Naruto. The boy landed next to him, without a shirt. Sasuke pulled out something from the pack he'd been carrying. He thrust the object into Naruto's hands, and Naruto realised it was a shirt.

"Put it on Dobe or you're going to freeze." Sasuke stated. Naruto nodded gratefully and threw on the shirt. Sasuke knew that he must've been cold to not even reply.

"Itachi's unconscious. Tenshiko led Shisui away from us. She said something about him being controlled by a seal or something like that. I couldn't hear myself think over my chattering teeth." Naruto replied. He sounded more like an adult and Sasuke elbowed his friend in the ribs.

"We're meant to be kids Naruto." Sasuke hissed. Naruto nodded and shrugged as he seemed to be warming up.

"So who do we talk to?" Naruto asked.

"Well our mothers are looking for Kakashi. Seems this coup isn't a clan effort." Sasuke replied.

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Tenshiko was trying to avoid a fight with Shisui but she knew that wouldn't be possible. Soon she was using a branch to defend herself from Shisui's sword. However, swords cut through wood and Tenshiko knew she'd be running out of defence sooner or later.

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Mikoto and Kushina both saw Kakashi and landed gracefully either side of the Anbu operative. They soon took care of his opponent and grabbed hold of Kakashi's arms, one on each side, and dragged him away from the fight. The silver-haired male didn't argue with the two women. They were known as the most bad-tempered Kunoichi in the village for a good reason.

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Tenshiko was tripped and fell to the ground, Shisui stood over her, ready to plunge his sword into her heart. She closed her eyes and bit hard at her lip.

"_This is the end."_ She thought to herself. She waited for the impact, but it never came. She opened her eyes to see her saviour, Itachi, hoisting Shisui over his shoulder.

"We should get going." Itachi stated blandly. Tenshiko nodded and the pair headed towards the Hokage tower. Both of them knowing that everyone would be there instinctively.

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Kakashi stared at the two females incredulously.

"You want me to what now?" Kakashi asked.

"We want you to remove the control seals on the Uchiha clan members. Most of these people aren't fighting with their own free will." Kushina stated. Kakashi sighed and picked himself up.

"I'll do my best." Kakashi stated. He started using different handsigns faster than either woman could follow.

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Naruto and Sasuke watched as several clan members seemed to drop their weapons, looking dazed and confused by their surroundings. Both boys smiled at each other. That was when Naruto's eyes went wide, as a kunai was pressed to his neck.

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Minato and Fugaku glared at each other. Both were beat up and Minato could see the exhaustion in his opponent's face. That was when Minato noticed several of the Uchiha clan throwing their weapons down, looking confused.

"Give up Fugaku. Your clan have already thrown down their weapons." Minato stated. Fugaku looked furious. Then his eyes rested on something that made him smirk. Minato's gaze followed Fugaku's eyeline and his own eyes went wide. Before he even moved, Fugaku was already gone, headed towards the small forms of Sasuke and Naruto. Minato knew he'd be heading for Naruto.

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Mikoto and Kushina saw Naruto standing with Sasuke.

"I told you he'd be alright." Mikoto told her friend. Kushina grinned at the sight of her young son, until she saw Fugaku holding a kunai to his neck. She rushed forwards, with Kakashi and Mikoto, and she saw Minato was already there, glaring at the other male.

"Let go of my son!" Minato hissed angrily.

"Fugaku what are you doing? He's a little boy!" Mikoto yelled. She saw Sasuke trembling slightly and wondered how Fugaku could take his son's best friend as a hostage, even in front of the boy.

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Tenshiko and Itachi got to the Hokage tower to see Fugaku Uchiha, with a kunai blade against Naruto's throat. Tenshiko could see her Uncle and Aunt standing there looking shocked. Sasuke looked shell-shocked. Mikoto looked disgusted and furious. Tenshiko and Itachi rushed to the spot and stared as Naruto seemed to be wriggling around in Fugaku's grip.

"If I can't win I'll at least have half a victory." Fugaku hissed angrily. Before Tenshiko could react, she saw Itachi already running forward. She heard the chink of metal against metal, and before she could see what was happening, she saw Itachi standing over his father. Blood was pooling around the man and Naruto was in Itachi's arms. Sasuke stared in shock, and everyone seemed frozen in complete silence. One thing was for sure. The coup was definitely over, but at what price?

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Okay all, that's the end of this chapter. I'm sorry if it seems short but I have some sort of virus that's making my brain rot away so I'm not really concentrating. Anywho, I'll try and update soon, but I am now preparing for my university exams and finishing off a research project, so as much as I love my fanfic writing, I may not be able to update for a little while, but I will try when I have a spare moment. Thanks to everyone for all your patience please R&R and let me know what you think.


	6. Harsh Aftermath

Okay all here is the next chapter of Another Chance. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and to all of you who added me to your faves and alert lists. (Yes I know I say the same thing all the time but at least I say thanks LOL!)

To my anonymous reviewer, devil M, thanks loads for the review. I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy this update.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Six – Harsh Aftermath.

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Itachi looked down at his father. The man was surely dead. There wasn't any other way to think. Itachi gave Naruto to Minato as he still stared down at his father in shock. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked at his mother.

"Mother? I didn't... I wouldn't... I wanted to save the clan... Father..." Itachi couldn't say anymore. A few tears had leaked from his eyes. Mikoto pulled her eldest son into her arms.

"You did your duty Itachi. I know you didn't do this deliberately. Don't blame yourself." Mikoto told her son. Itachi couldn't help but embrace his mother and let her lead him away. He wasn't sure he could ever forgive himself.

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Sasuke was shaking. He knew that Itachi had done his duty. He knew that his father had betrayed the village and was about to kill Naruto. Still, images from his past, from the first timeline, rose up in his mind and made him feel sick to his stomach. He saw that the other clan members were being rounded up and herded off. No doubt they would be interrogated by Ibiki about what they knew. Sasuke felt a hand grip his. He looked to see Naruto next to him. The boy's blue eyes begged Sasuke not to hate him.

"This isn't your fault Naruto." Sasuke whispered.

"If it wasn't for me your brother wouldn't have-" Sasuke cut Naruto off.

"My father would've killed you. You couldn't have known what he was planning. This isn't your fault Naruto. My father... my father changed. I don't know how or when or if it's just a product of this timeline, or if he was like this in our timeline too. All I know is that he isn't the father I always remembered. He made his choices. He would've been executed for treason anyway. At least Itachi stopped him from killing you." Sasuke said softly. Naruto gripped on to Sasuke's hand a little tighter. It was a childish impulse and even as Sasuke squeezed back, they both knew it was a childish impulse. But they needed to be sure that they were both together. Sasuke didn't add that he couldn't have lived with himself if Naruto had been killed. He didn't say that Naruto was his dearest friend, his brother in all the ways that mattered. Naruto didn't say that he was so grateful for Sasuke's forgiveness that he could burst, or that Sasuke meant the same to him. They didn't need to. They walked over to Kushina and didn't say another word. Both of them knew what the other was thinking and that was all that mattered.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Mikoto looked over at Kushina and was grateful to see that she was looking after Sasuke. At that moment, Mikoto knew Itachi needed reassurance. She was also putting off that moment when she would have to explain to Sasuke that his father was dead for the good of the village. She knew she wasn't being very fair to Sasuke. She knew that she should be sat with him right now explaining to him about what would happen now. Mikoto knew all this but she tried not to think for at least a few more minutes. She looked at Itachi who was still trembling.

"Itachi?" Mikoto tried to talk to him again. He looked at her sadly.

"Do you think that Sasuke will forgive me?" Itachi asked sadly.

"I don't think he feels there's anything to forgive Itachi." Both mother and son looked at Tenshiko in surprise.

"Sasuke is a lot smarter and a lot more perceptive then we really give him credit for Itachi. I'm sure he understands. I know it seems bad now, and I know this isn't how you wanted it to end, but you know that you did what had to be done. If you hadn't done it, then my Uncle would have had to. That's if he managed to get Naruto away in time. Sasuke would've been worse off than he is now if he had to lose his best friend as well as his father." Tenshiko added gently. Mikoto smiled as Itachi stopped trembling.

"I'm alright Mother. Go and talk to Sasuke." Itachi said calmly. Mikoto nodded and placed a hand on top of her son's head gently. Then she went to speak to her youngest child. Tenshiko sat next to Itachi.

"All of this seems like it was planned somehow." Tenshiko said. Itachi looked at Tenshiko as she stared up at the full moon. It was hard to think that all of this had happened within a few hours of sundown.

"It is strange. I think that maybe someone was using my father, pulling his strings, someday I'll find out who it was or what really happened." Itachi replied.

"Until then you have to keep it together for your mother and your brother." Tenshiko quipped. Itachi gave his best friend a gentle smile.

"I will Tenshiko. I'll do what I have to do." Itachi said. The two of them just sat in silence after that, staring at the moon.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke and Naruto saw Mikoto heading towards them.

"Your Mom obviously wants to talk to you Teme." Naruto whispered.

"I know Dobe." Sasuke replied. Kushina was talking to Kakashi when Mikoto finally stood in front of her youngest child.

"Sasuke..." Sasuke looked as his mother attempted to talk to him. He wanted to put her out of her misery, but he also knew that if he seemed too accepting of the situation then people might think it suspicious.

"Naruto?" Both boys looked to see Kushina calling her son. Naruto gave Sasuke's hand a last squeeze before he went to his mother. Sasuke looked at his mother and waited.

"I know that you're a smart boy. All of this is... your father is..." Mikoto kept trailing.

"What about Father?" Sasuke asked. He hated himself for doing it. But he knew that a child would ask questions, not wait for someone to be ready to talk to them.

"Your father is dead Sasuke." Mikoto said gently. Sasuke bit at his lip to try and make some tears appear in his eyes. It didn't seem to be working.

"I know this is hard Sasuke, but there was no choice. You were right here. I... I don't want to make this harder for you sweetheart... I know you're shocked..." Mikoto had no idea what to say to her son. Sasuke took a deep breath and then started to let the image that haunted his nightmares into his mind. The image of Naruto, with a Chidori through his chest, dead on the ground. That summoned more than a few tears from him, and as Sasuke felt his mother pull him into a hug, he knew he could forgive Itachi this time around.

xXxXxXx ONE WEEK LATER xXxXxXx

Sasuke and Naruto were sat in their class at the academy listening to Iruka's lesson. Talk had been rife about the attempted coup, instigated by the Uchiha clan. Sasuke had informed Naruto that the three members of the Uchiha clan that were not under a control seal were to be executed as traitors. The others were being a given a probationary period. Today, however, Sasuke was more worried about his older brother. When they went outside for their break, Naruto and Sasuke made their way over to the lone swing in the playground and sat on it together. Sasuke looked down at the ground as Naruto waited for Sasuke to speak.

"My brother is being investigated by ROOT." Sasuke stated sadly.

"My Dad won't let anything happen to Itachi. Don't worry Sasuke. I know all of this is weird, but he'll be okay." Naruto reassured. Sasuke gave Naruto a smirk.

"Yeah I know. I just never felt like this back then." Sasuke said. Naruto grinned.

"Well you have to admit that being a kid has been really interesting so far. Besides we've got a new mission." Naruto replied. Sasuke gave Naruto an odd look.

"My Dad was talking to my Mom last night. A peace emissary is coming from Cloud country in two weeks." Naruto added. Sasuke understood instantly what Naruto was getting at then.

"You want to stop what happened with Neji's father don't you." Sasuke replied. Naruto nodded.

"He'll have the chance of a better childhood. That and we can't let someone mess with our village when we can do something about it." Naruto quipped. Sasuke shook his head, smirking with amusement.

"Well we can plan for it, but we have no idea exactly what will happen. Remember things have changed now." Sasuke stated.

"How about compiling a list of possible candidates?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke bit his lip.

"If we go by the strength that I should have then I'm the most likely candidate. Orochimaru is bound to come during our Chunin exams. I'm the youngest in the clan and most of the men think I'm the runt of the litter." Sasuke told Naruto. Naruto glared.

"You'll be better then all of them Teme. So they can think what they want." Naruto huffed. Sasuke smirked at his friend's irritation.

"_It's nice to know that he'll stand up for me."_ Sasuke thought to himself as they carried on making plans for when the Cloud diplomat would arrive.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke arrived home that day, bringing Naruto with him, only to find Kushina and Mikoto were already sat together talking. Both boys looked at their mothers with curiosity.

"Hello boys. Did you both have a good day at the academy?" Mikoto asked. Naruto and Sasuke nodded.

"I'm just going to go and put my bag in my room." Sasuke said. Naruto nodded as if to say he was following, and both boys pretended to head towards Sasuke's room, stopping just outside the front room door.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Is Itachi really that bad?" Kushina asked her friend softly. Mikoto nodded sadly.

"He's very depressed since that night. I think he's more worried that Sasuke won't forgive him for taking their father away. He's been avoiding Sasuke like the plague and locking himself in his room most of the time. It helps when Tenshiko comes to visit. I think he trusts her not to hate him. But he doesn't talk to me at all. I know it's only been a week but..." Mikoto trailed off.

"You think this is only the beginning." Kushina replied gently. Mikoto nodded.

"He seems so lost. I'm trying but I don't think I can reach him." Mikoto said softly. Tears trailed down her cheeks and Kushina hugged her friend and allowed the woman to cry. After all, no matter how foolish Fugaku had been, he'd been Mikoto's husband, and the father of her children. Kushina knew that Mikoto was avoiding dealing with her own grief because she wanted to help her sons first.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke took a deep breath after the pair had listened in to their mothers' conversation. They went to Sasuke's room and both put down their bags.

"Go and talk to Itachi, Sasuke. I know you want to. I'll stay here." Naruto stated. Sasuke nodded and left his best friend in his bedroom. He knew that he needed to speak to his elder brother alone.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi sat in his room, looking out of the window and pondering the events of the week before. He had killed his father. No matter what kind of man he was, Fugaku had still been his father. Once the man had actually paid Itachi attention that hadn't involved Shinobi training. Itachi wondered exactly when all of this would hit home for his younger brother. He heard a knock on his door, and then heard it open. He turned his head to see Sasuke standing there.

"Sasuke I'm not in the mood to train." Itachi said sadly. Sasuke didn't move from the spot where he stood. Itachi turned around fully to face the boy.

"What's wrong Sasuke?" Itachi asked seriously. Sasuke took a deep breath.

"I don't care that you killed Father." Sasuke said sincerely. Itachi felt his eyes widen.

"What?" Itachi asked.

"I don't care that you had to kill Father. He would have been executed for betraying the village. What happened, happened and there's nothing you can do to change it Aniki. But stop shutting yourself away from us. We need you Itachi. Father did a terrible wrong. Now we're all paying for it." Sasuke replied.

"I don't give you enough credit do I Sasuke?" Itachi questioned.

"What do you mean Aniki?" Sasuke asked. His eyes looked up at Itachi innocently.

"You hear everything that's going on and you take it in. I forget that you're getting older sometimes." Itachi replied. Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly.

"I want you to be okay Itachi. I don't want you to think that I don't forgive you. I do forgive you. If it wasn't for you then Naruto would be dead and Father would be dead anyway. At least we're all still here right?" Sasuke questioned softly. Itachi walked over to Sasuke and pulled his younger sibling into a hug.

"Yeah Sasuke. We're all still here. Things will be alright." Itachi replied. He felt Sasuke hug him back and then Itachi moved back. He placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"If you want I'll give you and Naruto some training for a little while." Itachi said uncharacteristically. Sasuke grinned and before Itachi could change his mind he ran off to get Naruto. Itachi couldn't help smiling to himself at the antics of his younger brother.

"_Sometimes I wonder exactly how smart he is. He can act like he's so much older sometimes."_ Itachi thought to himself as he heard both boys running back along the corridor to get him. He knew they wouldn't let him get out of their training session now.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay that's the end of this chapter. Next chapter Cloud ninjas! LOL! Anyways, if you have any suggestions as to what you think could change in this timeline for Naruto and Sasuke (or for anyone else) please feel free to review or PM me your thoughts. I'm always glad to listen. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will try and update as soon as I can.


	7. Unexpected Happenings

Okay all. Chapter seven of Another Chance. I feel the need to say a few small things before I start this chapter however so bear with me.

Point 1 – I have just realised that the whole Cloud Ninja incident happened when Naruto and Sasuke were three. I was actually reminded by one of my reviewers, In The Mix, and I actually feel a little bad because I try to keep within the timeline properly. So for the sake of reason (and my sanity) we'll just call this creative license okay. I hope no one has gotten offended.

Point 2 – Anything that looks like I left holes in it, is usually like that because you'll find out about it later on. However please feel free to tell me what you think, and if you think I've left something in a dodgy place. Because as good as I am (supposedly) I'm still human and I do make mistakes and I prefer to hear about them sooner rather than later because I don't want to build my story up on a pillar of sand (so to speak).

Point 3 – I hate to inform you all but I will have no internet for the next four weeks. I am going to be in Cyprus, on holiday with my lovely family (God help me) and there is no internet in my grandparent's place. But I will be writing updates while I'm over there and you will get a new chapter when I come back. I promise.

Thanks for your time and patience. Also a big thank you to all my reviewers and to all those who added me to their alerts and faves lists. I truly appreciate it.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Another Chance.

Chapter Seven – Unexpected Happenings.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto woke up the day before the Cloud diplomat's arrival feeling terrible. There was no other word for it. He felt like he'd been eaten by a giant snake (again), been digested and then regurgitated. His head throbbed and he felt like the room was stifling, his stomach hurt, mostly on the right hand side, he felt like he was going to vomit.

"_Scratch that thought, where's the bathroom?"_ Naruto's brain yelled as he attempted to run to the bathroom. He got out of bed and fell over, landing on his right side. He held back a scream of agony, before vomiting violently and falling into unconsciousness.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke bit his lip as he sat and pushed food around his plate.

"_Naruto didn't come for our spar this morning."_ Sasuke thought to himself. They usually met before sun up to spar. After all they couldn't train the way they wanted to when everyone else was around.

"What's wrong Sasuke?" His mother asked kindly.

"Nothing Mother." Sasuke said softly. That was when Itachi walked into the kitchen.

"He's worried because Naruto didn't show up for their secret sparring matches that they have every morning before dawn." Itachi quipped. Sasuke's eyes went wide. Then he glared at his elder brother.

"If you want I'll walk you to the academy and we'll go and get Naruto. He probably just slept in." Itachi stated.

"He never sleeps in." Sasuke stated moodily.

"There's a first time for everything little brother." Itachi said kindly.

"Okay Itachi. Let's go." Sasuke replied. He didn't want to eat any of his breakfast at any rate. Itachi shrugged and they went to put their shoes on. Of course Sasuke didn't tell Itachi that he would've just snuck out of the academy to find out what was wrong with Naruto anyway. After all, kids weren't supposed to do that.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Later that morning, Kushina sighed as she finished washing the dishes from breakfast. All but one dish, which was an orange plate. If there had been no food on it, there would have been a blue spiral in the centre of the plate. Kushina looked at Tenshiko.

"Have you heard Naruto this morning? He hasn't even come down to eat breakfast." Kushina said worriedly. Tenshiko shook her head.

"No I haven't heard a peep Auntie. Do you want me to go and see what he's up to? He might just have slept in for once. There's a first time for everything." Tenshiko asked. Kushina nodded.

"Yes. Please go and check on him. It's not like him to miss breakfast." Kushina replied softly. That was when they heard a knock at the door.

"I'll just go and check on Naruto now." Tenshiko stated. She left the room and Kushina went to the front door. She looked to see Itachi and Sasuke.

"Hi you two. Come in." Kushina said kindly.

"Thank you Aunt Kushina." Itachi replied. Sasuke looked anxious.

"What's wrong Sasuke?" Kushina asked softly.

"He's worried about Naruto." Itachi replied before Sasuke even opened his mouth. That was when the trio heard a loud yelling.

"AUNTIE KUSHINA! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH NARUTO!"

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tenshiko had made it up the stairs in record time. She knocked on Naruto's door.

"Naruto? Are you awake?" Tenshiko called. There was no answer. She opened the door slowly and caught sight of a small form huddled on the floor. It was Naruto. She noted the vomit and ran over to her little cousin's side within seconds. She touched his forehead and pulled back her hand instantly.

"AUNTIE KUSHINA! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH NARUTO!" Tenshiko yelled. She didn't know what else to do. She could feel her younger cousin's temperature was extremely high.

She heard the sound of more than one set of feet running up the stairs. Then she saw Kushina, Itachi and Sasuke in the doorway. Sasuke's eyes were wide and Tenshiko could see the fear that he was trying to hide. Kushina knelt on the floor next to her son.

"Naruto? Come on sweetie talk to me!" Kushina exclaimed. She touched Naruto's face gently and felt that his temperature had skyrocketed. Naruto's eyes opened very slowly.

"Mom?" Naruto questioned weakly.

"What's wrong sweetie? Tell me." Kushina asked frantically.

"My stum'ch hurds. My hed hurds too. I couldan get to da batrum in time. Sorry Mom." Naruto uttered weakly.

"Don't you worry about that Naruto." Kushina said softly. Then she looked up at Itachi.

"Itachi who's faster you or Tenshiko?" Kushina asked the elder Uchiha.

"Itachi's faster than me Auntie Kushina." Tenshiko replied. Itachi didn't have to speak a word.

"Itachi take Naruto and run as fast as you can to the hospital. Tell them he has a very high temperature, he's suffering from stomach pain and he's vomited." Kushina stated. Itachi nodded and picked up Naruto from the floor gently. He cradled the blond in his arms and adjusted the boy into a more comfortable position.

"I'll get him there as fast as I can." Itachi stated. Before anyone could say a word, Itachi had leapt from the window and was speeding away. Sasuke made to leap out after them but Tenshiko stopped him.

"You can come with us Sasuke. Let Itachi get him there. Naruto's tough he'll be fine." Tenshiko stated. Sasuke didn't bother to tell Tenshiko that he'd never known Naruto to get sick in his life. He didn't tell her that he wanted to be with his friend through this ordeal. He just kept his eyes on the prone blond head, bobbing as Itachi ran, until he couldn't see Itachi anymore. He wanted to go after them so badly.

"Tenshiko, go and tell your Uncle that Naruto's sick. I know he has a lot to do but he'd never forgive me if I didn't tell him. Tell him what's happened." Kushina stated. Tenshiko nodded and she too leapt out of the window and was off like a shot.

"Sasuke, be a sweetheart and grab some things for Naruto. While you do that I'll clean this carpet." Kushina said softly. Sasuke knew she was trying to reassure him by not panicking. But Sasuke could see Kushina's anxiety reflected in her eyes. He did as he was asked. He picked up some pyjamas and some other little things whilst Kushina made a kage bunshin appear and ordered it to clean the carpet. It did as it was told and Kushina came over to Sasuke and took the little orange pack from Sasuke. That was when Sasuke noticed Naruto's beaver hat lying on the floor. Naruto had always worn that thing. He picked it up and handed it to Kushina. She gave him a weak smile and pulled him into a hug. He couldn't help hugging her back. After all, even though he wouldn't admit needing a hug himself (he never ever admitted such things) he knew Naruto's mother needed the comfort (that was his excuse and he'll stick to it) and of course he wanted to do the right thing for Naruto's mother. After that they left the house, after Kushina told her clone to go to the academy and tell Iruka what was going on (and sending it on to Mikoto's house after that).

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi was leaping across rooftops as fast as his feet could go. He could see Naruto's eyes fluttering weakly. He could feel the heat radiating from the boy.

"Hang on Naruto. We'll get you to the hospital and you'll be alright. Besides what would my little brother do without his partner in crime?" Itachi said softly. The boy groaned painfully in response. Itachi bit his lip as he kept speeding towards the hospital.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto wasn't really sure what was going on at this point. The whole world was on fire. He could feel little breezes of cool air hitting his face, so he knew he was being taken somewhere. He heard someone murmur something to him, but he wasn't sure who it was anymore. He felt himself put onto some form of bed. He could feel cool sheets beneath him. His head rested on something that he assumed was a pillow.

He could hear voices all around him.

"Why should we treat him?" One voice said.

"He's the son of the Hokage. So you'd better look after him properly." Naruto heard Itachi hiss.

"_Itachi's here."_ Naruto thought to himself.

"Where's his mother?" Another voice asked.

"She'll be here momentarily. I was the fastest runner so I bought him here. He needs medical attention, he has a temperature and he's already vomited. He's barely conscious. So do your jobs and make him well!" Itachi yelled.

"_Wow I didn't know Itachi knew how to speak above serious low tones."_ Naruto thought to himself.

"_He must be really worried. I guess I'm worried too. Hasn't this already happened to me before?"_ Naruto thought to himself.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Minato was sat in his office. Something didn't feel right to him. Old Sarutobi was also sat in the office. That was when someone jumped in through the window. Minato and Sarutobi both almost had a heart attack until Minato realised it was his niece.

"Tenshiko? What's wrong?" Minato asked. He could see the fear and worry on his niece's face.

"It's Naruto. He's sick. We don't know what's wrong with him but Itachi ran him to the hospital. Auntie Kushina is bringing Sasuke with her and she told me to run and tell you." Tenshiko said. Minato bit his lip. Anxiety flooded over him.

"Go Minato. I'll finish up the paperwork here. I'm sure you want to see that your son is alright." Sarutobi replied kindly. Minato nodded.

"Thank you Sandaime-Sama." Minato replied gratefully. Then Minato and Tenshiko were gone.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi was watching the nurses and doctors to make sure they treated Naruto well. After all, he knew that Naruto was the Kyubi's Jinchuriki. He saw them check Naruto's temperature.

"It's forty-two degrees Celsius!" One of the nurses exclaimed in horror. Itachi wanted to shake someone to do something for Naruto. He'd become quite fond of his little brother's friend. After all the two spent so much time together that it was impossible to even think of them being apart. That and Itachi couldn't help viewing the boy like another little brother.

That was when Kushina arrived with Sasuke. Not even two minutes later Minato arrived with Tenshiko. Now that the Hokage was there, the doctors and nurses were working more efficiently on Naruto. Five minutes later Mikoto arrived with Kushina's clone, which Kushina dispelled. As soon as Mikoto arrived a doctor felt fit to come over to the group and explain the situation.

"Hokage-Sama I'm afraid your son's appendix has ruptured." The doctor stated solemnly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kushina yelled frantically.

"It means that we will obviously do our best to clear the ruptured appendix and its remains but from the temperature that Naruto has I'm afraid that the poisonous chemicals from the appendix have already caused an infection in the abdomen and that your son has peritonitis." The doctor replied.

"What do you do about that?" Minato asked angrily. As far as he was concerned this doctor wasn't giving a straight answer. After all, all they wanted to know was whether or not Naruto would be alright.

"That means that we clear the infection using strong antibiotics and clear any damage. After that we have to depend on Naruto's immune system to clear up the infection. I can't promise that your son will be alright Hokage-Sama. If I make such a promise it wouldn't be fair as people have died from Appendicitis before." The doctor replied.

"How will you clear the appendix?" Kushina asked.

"We will have to operate Kushina-Sama. It's the only way to remove the appendix." The doctor said gently. Kushina sat down in one of the chairs looking very afraid. Mikoto sat next to her friend and tried her best to comfort her.

"We will take him to theatre now and afterwards you can wait with him Hokage-Sama." The doctor said. He bowed to Minato and ran off. None of the group felt very optimistic. Sasuke stared as they wheeled Naruto out of one room and away down the corridor. Sasuke could see that Naruto was in agony. His blond friend was barely conscious and yet still seemed to be writhing around and groaning in pain. Sasuke made a silent prayer then. Just for Naruto to be alright.

xXxXxXx THE NEXT MORNING xXxXxXx

The group had spent the night in Naruto's hospital room. It had taken a while but Naruto had been returned. Sasuke had been almost afraid that the blond had died in theatre, he looked so pale. But the doctors assured them that they had removed the burst appendix, cleaned all the poisonous fluid that had gone into Naruto's system. However Naruto was attached to various wires and drips. Some were letting out poison, some were bringing in good fluid, some were cleaning Naruto's bloodstream. But that morning, when Sasuke sat on Naruto's bed next to him, Naruto opened his eyes.

"Wha-what happened Sasuke?" Naruto stuttered out weakly.

"Well your mom and your cousin found you lying on the floor in your room. Itachi took you to the hospital. The doctors said you had a ruptured-" Sasuke was cut off by Naruto.

"Appendix?" Naruto quipped.

"You knew this was going to happen?" Sasuke asked.

"No. I thought you only got it once." Naruto said sleepily.

"Dobe you're a kid here. That means you still had an appendix." Sasuke stated quietly. After all the other occupants of the room were asleep and neither boy wanted them to hear what they were discussing.

"Yeah I guess. I just didn't think about it really. I mean I didn't know what was happening today until I heard the doctors all talking around me." Naruto said softly.

"Uh... Naruto?" Sasuke questioned.

"Yeah Sasuke?" Naruto replied.

"This happened yesterday. You just woke up after an operation to remove your burst appendix." Sasuke quipped. Naruto blinked. Then he glared at the window.

"I'm gonna be stuck here for three weeks now." Naruto stated irritably. Then he looked at Sasuke with wide eyes.

"Our plan is screwed. How are we supposed to watch out for Hinata if I'm stuck in the hospital?" Naruto asked.

"_We're_ not. _I_ am. You'll just have to rest Dobe. After all you just survived a life threatening experience." Sasuke replied. Naruto pouted irritably.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

That day the whole village seemed to be getting ready for a festival. Sasuke glared irritably at the idea that the whole village was celebrating a cloud ninja who was about ready to betray them anyway. Naruto had told Sasuke about Neji's story a while ago. Sasuke and Naruto had decided against jumping in to befriend Hinata. It would seem too odd if they happened to just allow someone else into their inner circle. They hadn't even included Sakura yet. Both boys wanted to try and keep things close to the timeline without too much damaged. However both boys had spoken to Hinata. They had also spoken to Sakura during the time they'd been at the academy, however Naruto was not a little boy with a crush on her anymore and Sasuke was no longer the little boy who had to best his older brother. Both boys knew a lot more about how to get information now.

Sasuke walked toward the Hokage tower. From what Naruto had told Sasuke, the treaty needed to be signed before Cloud Ninja tried to kidnap Hinata, which would happen that evening. The treaty had apparently been signed in the afternoon. He walked into the Hokage Tower and was met by his mother.

"What are you doing here Sasuke?" Mikoto asked her son.

"I just wanted to see the treaty. There'll be peace between the Cloud village and our village right Mother?" Sasuke replied. He had to deliberately play dumb of course. His mother was only too glad to take him into the room to see what was happening.

Sasuke got a good look at the Cloud Ninja. The Cloud Ninja, in turn, seemed to have taken a good look at him also.

"Who is this young man?" The Cloud Ninja asked Minato.

"This is Sasuke. He's my son's best friend." Minato asked. Sasuke took notice that the Fourth Hokage seemed to be cautious with his words.

"Oh and where is your son then Hokage-Sama? After all, best friends aren't usually seen without each other?" The Cloud Ninja quipped.

"My son became ill yesterday. He's still recovering." Minato didn't miss a beat. Sasuke took note that Minato hadn't mentioned whether Naruto was in a hospital or at home. No real details were given.

"_They're both a lot smarter then we're giving them credit for."_ Sasuke thought to himself as he measured up the Cloud Ninja mentally.

xXxXxXx THAT NIGHT xXxXxXx

Sasuke was sat outside the Hyuga compound, waiting for the Cloud Ninja to appear. He felt that something wasn't quite right. Something made him feel more on edge than usual. Sasuke had snuck out of his room at home and he knew that his brother's team had been assigned a mission that afternoon. He also knew that Minato had not wanted to send them. But Naruto had insisted that Itachi and Tenshiko get to have a good mission. Sasuke had smirked at that little act that Naruto had put on. After all, it would be easier for Sasuke to sneak out if Itachi wasn't in the village. As Sasuke watched things going as smoothly as usual in the Hyuga compound, Sasuke was beginning to wonder if he had missed something.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto was pretending to sleep in his bed. He was waiting for the alarm to be raised. He knew it would be if an attempt on Hinata was made. He fidgeted in the hospital bed. His mother and father were in the Hokage office discussing something. That was when he felt a different chakra enter his room. This wasn't the chakra of any of the nurses. Naruto knew that much. He opened his eyes wide as he saw someone wearing a balaclava over their head. Naruto leapt out of the bed as the stranger made to silence him. Naruto's reflexes were still not as good as they had been before the time leap. He was still in a child's body, and he was still not fully recovered from the appendicitis, because of this, he found that he'd been grabbed before he could even make a bid for escape.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Mikoto walked over to the hospital. She bumped into Hizashi Hyuga on her way.

"Hizashi-San. How are you?" Mikoto asked kindly.

"I'm quite well, thank you Mikoto-San. I've been put on guard duty today." Hizashi replied.

"I'm looking for my sneaky seven year old son." Mikoto stated. Hizashi almost laughed.

"Most sons start thinking for themselves when they reach a certain age." Hizashi stated. Mikoto nodded her agreement. The pair had been on a Genin team together, along with Fugaku.

They walked into the hospital and Mikoto walked up to Naruto's room.

"You think your son will be here?" Hizashi asked.

"Yes. He and Naruto are best friends. They don't like being separated for too long." Mikoto replied. That was when she threw open the door quietly and her eyes widened to see someone holding on to Naruto.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke felt a chill go down his spine. Something felt very wrong to him. Things weren't going as they were supposed to, and without Naruto there beside him, Sasuke was starting to feel extremely paranoid. That was when alarms went off. Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw Hiashi Hyuga leaving the compound. He heard the words of the man before he left, that were spoken to a guard.

"Keep an eye on my daughter. Someone is attempting to abduct the Hokage's son at the hospital."

As soon as Sasuke heard those words come out of Hiashi's mouth he was off. He leapt through the trees, hoping to make it to the hospital in time to be of some help to Naruto.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Mikoto and Hizashi glared at the stranger before them.

"Put the boy down." Hizashi stated calmly.

"I don't think so." The stranger replied. Mikoto's eyes widened as she heard the man's voice.

"You're the head Cloud Ninja! The one sent to sign a peace treaty with us!" Mikoto yelled angrily. Naruto was struggling in the man's grip.

"Put him down or we will be forced to physically disable you." Hizashi stated.

"You can try." The Ninja replied. He leapt backwards out of the window. Hizashi and Mikoto followed after him.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina and Minato were running towards the hospital when they saw someone leap from Naruto's hospital room window. They saw Mikoto and Hizashi leaping out after him. Before the person got far, he was cornered by Hizashi and Mikoto, and before the man could move, Hizashi delivered a killer blow.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke felt his heart plummet into his stomach as he saw the dead Cloud Ninja drop to the ground. Naruto was caught by his mother, and Kushina and Minato were already at his side. Sasuke's mother handed Naruto over to Kushina, who seemed to be rather upset. Naruto looked confused and both boys knew that they had no chance of saving Hizashi Hyuga's life now.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay all. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was extra long for your enjoyment. LOL! Anywho, tune in next time to see what will happen to Hiashi, and what else Naruto and Sasuke are going to get up to next. Please R&R and let me know what you think. See you next chapter.


	8. The Event That Couldn't be Avoided

Okay all, here's the next chapter of Another Chance. Thanks to all of you who reviewed and added me to your faves and alert lists. It's really appreciated.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Eight – The Event That Couldn't be Avoided.

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Minato was furious. He sat across from a representative of Cloud and felt his anger rise.

"You're telling me that you want the death of one of my Shinobi because yours was killed?" Minato questioned angrily. The representative nodded.

"It is only fair that we have justice. You signed a peace treaty with us and then killed the one who signed it." The representative stated.

"He snuck into our village hospital and attempted to kidnap my son." Minato stated.

"Who told you that?" The representative asked.

"My _son_ told me that!" Minato yelled. Minato glared fiercely at the representative.

"None the less he was the head of our forces and you killed him. We demand that his killer be killed in kind, and bought to our borders so we can see that the deed has been done." The representative stated.

"If we refuse?" Minato asked angrily.

"Then Cloud will have no choice but to take its own brand of revenge." The representative replied.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke were sat in Sasuke's room.

"If I'd told you I was gonna get sick then this might not have happened." Naruto said sadly.

"Naruto... we had no way of knowing that they might want to steal you instead of Hinata." Sasuke said sadly.

"I don't even know why they would want me. I mean Hinata has Byakugan and you have Sharingan. I'm..." Naruto trailed off.

"It could be because you're a Jinchuriki." Sasuke quipped. That was when the pair heard talking coming from the living room.

"It's my Mother and yours." Sasuke stated.

"Let's go and see what they're talking about. We might learn some more about why they wanted me. Or even what's going on now." Naruto quipped. Sasuke nodded his agreement and the pair snuck down the stairs expertly and listened just outside the kitchen door.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"How is everything going? I heard that a representative from Cloud was in the village." Mikoto asked Kushina. Kushina sighed.

"It doesn't look like they're going to back down. Minato seems just about ready to go to war. He doesn't want to hand over Hizashi for slaughter. It's not right. They won't even acknowledge the fact that their Ninja tried to kidnap our son." Kushina replied. Mikoto licked her lips nervously for a moment then asked a question.

"Why did they want Naruto so badly? I mean I know he's your son. I'm not saying that he isn't special. It's just..." Mikoto trailed off.

"Why take him when they could snatch someone with a Kekkei Genkai?" Kushina questioned back. Mikoto nodded.

"Naruto does have a Kekkei Genkai. It's not an obvious one, in fact it's not widely known at all." Kushina said softly. Mikoto was confused as she looked at her dearest friend.

"He has what's known as special chakra. He inherited it from me. He has almost limitless reserves, and the more he trains the more those reserves will grow. I was kidnapped by Cloud when I was fourteen for that very reason. That's how I first realised I loved Minato." Kushina said softly.

"So they wanted Naruto for that reason?" Mikoto asked.

"If you were them, wouldn't you want to breed a bunch of Shinobi with limitless chakra reserves? Why do you think Minato picked Naruto to be the Kyubi's Jinchuriki? Naruto is one of the few people capable of being able to contain the Kyubi." Kushina replied.

"Like you were?" Mikoto asked.

"That's a story that I don't want to get in to." Kushina replied.

Mikoto sighed as she sat at her kitchen table while Kushina stood up to make them both some tea.

"Kushina?" Mikoto asked softly.

"Yeah?" Kushina questioned back.

"I found out that I'm pregnant yesterday." Mikoto said softly. Kushina turned around and stared at her.

"How far along are you?" Kushina asked.

"Four months. I didn't even realise. There wasn't even any morning sickness." Mikoto said softly.

"Funnily enough I'm one month pregnant too." Kushina quipped. Mikoto stared at Kushina.

"I'm serious. I thought I was dying from the morning sickness but I went to check with the med nins to make sure. Seems Naruto is going to get a little brother or sister." Kushina stated.

"I wonder how Itachi and Sasuke are going to take it. It's been three months since their father died and I'm going to drop a bombshell on them." Mikoto stated.

"Just hope for a girl. Girls are far more understanding than boys." Kushina replied. Mikoto laughed loudly.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke stared wide eyed as they hid next to the kitchen entrance. Then they snuck back upstairs.

"Wow!" Sasuke exclaimed. He didn't even bother to hide his shock.

"Yeah you said it." Naruto replied.

"Not only are we getting new siblings but we managed to find out that you have a Kekkei Genkai too." Sasuke added.

"Have you noticed that we're starting to sound a lot more like kids?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded.

"I think we're just naturally adapting. It wouldn't hurt to talk to Kyubi about it though." Sasuke replied. Naruto nodded.

"I'll try and talk to him when I go to sleep tonight." Naruto said.

"It sounds like your Mother was Kyubi's Jinchuriki before you were." Sasuke said softly. Naruto nodded.

"I'll ask Kyubi. He hasn't got any reason to lie about it." Naruto replied.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hizashi and Hiashi Hyuga were sat in the Hokage's office. Minato looked at them both.

"Cloud wants retribution for their Ninja." Minato said bluntly. Hiashi looked furious.

"They breached the treaty by trying to abduct your son and you're telling me you're seriously considering what they're asking?" Hiashi asked angrily.

"I don't want to consider it at all. However their representative refuses to listen to any other grievance. As far as he's concerned we killed one of their ninja and they want the ninja's killer to be killed in kind." Minato replied. The Hyuga twins were sitting in silence for a few moments.

"If we wait they may calm down and consider the other options." Minato added after a few minutes.

"But the longer we wait the more risk there is of war between Cloud and Leaf right?" Hizashi asked. Minato nodded.

"Then it might be best for me to hand myself over." Hizashi said sadly.

"No! I refuse to hand over one of my ninja for the sake of a treaty that they obviously intended to break as soon as they signed it!" Minato exclaimed. Hiashi nodded.

"There is no way that I will hand over my twin brother for execution." Hiashi added.

"Then what will we do?" Hizashi asked. Neither man knew how to answer that question.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke had snuck out to walk around the village and found themselves in the park. They took note of a stranger who was watching other children playing. Naruto took note of Neji, who was pushing Hinata on a swing. Hinata's mother was watching over them as she held on to little Hanabi. Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji were racing around playing. Sakura and Ino were collecting flowers. Sasuke and Naruto glared at the stranger. They knew he was the representative from Cloud. However they had their own plan.

They walked over to the representative, both putting on faces of childish curiosity.

"Hi mister!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully.

"Hi." Sasuke stated much more softly.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The Cloud representative had decided to sit in the park and await the Hokage's choice. After all, he knew that if he went back to Cloud without Hizashi Hyuga's head, or the man himself to be executed, then there would be war. He'd known of the plan to abduct the Hokage's son from the very beginning. Most of the council had known. Of course nobody had thought that their head ninja could fail. But he had failed. Now the representative was there to make sure that they got something out of the failure. What he didn't expect was to see two children come up to him.

"Hi mister!" A blonde boy exclaimed loudly. The representative blinked at the curious child.

"Hi." A dark haired boy also said softly.

"What is it that you want children?" The representative asked.

"We're just curious." The blonde child stated.

"Yeah, you're not from around here." The dark haired child added.

"What's your name? I'm Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze and this is Sasuke Uchiha." The blond child asked, introducing himself and his friend. The representative looked at the two children, wondering whether or not he should introduce himself. He was also wondering where he had heard the name Namikaze before.

"Come on mister! It's rude to not give your name if someone else gave their name first!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. The male felt his lips twitching into the beginnings of a smile but suppressed it quickly.

"I am Rekei." The representative decided to tell them. It was his first name but it didn't tell them where he was from. The blond, Naruto, gave him a wide grin.

"My Dad is the best Shinobi ever! What does your Dad do Rekei?" Naruto asked. Rekei looked at the boy curiously, and the child's big eyes stared back at him.

"My Mom is a Kunoichi." The dark haired child, Sasuke, added.

"My father was a Shinobi. He died a long time ago." Rekei answered. Somehow the two children's big eyes and endearing expressions were pulling him in.

"That's sad. My cousin, Tenshiko, she lost her Mom and Dad when she was a baby. My Mom said they were Shinobi on a mission and something bad happened to them and they died. So now Tenshiko lives with us." Naruto said sadly. Rekei was confused as to how the children of this village could seem so innocent.

"We're friends now. Right Rekei?" Naruto asked.

"I supposed we are." Rekei replied, meaning to humour the innocent child, who couldn't be more than eight years old.

"Well, three weeks ago something really bad happened to me." Naruto said sadly.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke looked at Naruto, and Naruto made a hand signal behind his back. Sasuke knew what that meant, even though Naruto never used the same gesture.

"_Go with it Sasuke I have a plan."_ That's what it always meant. So Sasuke decided to go with it. After all, when did Naruto's plans ever _really_ fail on them? Except when they tried to get Kakashi's mask off, but that was an exception to the rule.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Rekei wasn't sure what made him ask, but he did.

"What happened to you then?" Rekei questioned gently.

"Well my stomach was hurting real bad and I had to go to hospital. Itachi-Aniki took me. He's Sasuke's Aniki, but I call him Aniki too!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yeah it was so scary because me and my Aniki went to pick up Naruto so we could both go to the Academy together, and Naruto was really sick." Sasuke joined in. They sounded genuinely frightened by the experience.

"And when I got there they had to make me go to sleep and Mom told me they had to cut open my stomach and take out my appendix because it bursted!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yeah. Naruto even has a scar!" Sasuke said excitedly.

"Wanna see my scar Rekei?" Naruto asked cutely. His big blue eyes looked up at the man cutely.

"Um... sure I guess." Rekei said blankly. Naruto lifted up his shirt, and presented a nice scar to the Cloud representative.

"Isn't it cool? Mom said it might go away when I get bigger! But it's so awesome!" Naruto exclaimed. Rekei gave the boy a tiny smile.

"Hey tell him what happened that night Naruto." Sasuke stated. Rekei was confused then.

"What happened then?" Rekei asked. His interest was genuinely peaked now.

"Well after I said goodnight to Mom and Dad and went to bed, I was sleeping and someone came into the room. He was mean and he had kunais so he musta been a Ninja. I didn't see his face." Naruto said. His face took on a wide eyed, scared look.

"It was scary because I tried to run away but I couldn't because I wasn't well, and the man picked me up and Auntie Mikoto and Hizashi-San came to see me and the man jumped out of the window with me!" Naruto exclaimed.

Rekei now remembered where he had heard the name Namikaze before. It was the family name of the Fourth Hokage.

"Did you know that Ninja's can run down walls?" Naruto asked curiously. Rekei nodded dumbly.

"I didn't! I was so scared I thought I was gonna go splat! But he ran down the wall with me. Then Auntie Mikoto and Hizashi-San chased after us, and Hizashi-San told the mean man to put me down." Naruto stated.

"Hizashi-San?" Rekei looked to see two children standing there. Both had the white eyes of the famed Hyuga clan. One was a boy and the other was a girl. It was the boy who had spoken.

"Yeah, Hizashi-San. He's really cool. Do you know him?" Naruto asked the white haired boy.

"He's my father." The boy replied. Rekei almost felt like he'd been suckered into a trap.

"I'm Naruto. This is Sasuke." Naruto stated.

"I'm Neji and this is my cousin, the Lady Hinata." The boy replied.

"So what did my Father do?" Neji asked. Rekei wasn't sure he wanted to know the rest of the story. But Naruto carried on anyway.

"Well the mean man wouldn't put me down. Even though your dad, Hizashi-San, told him to _three_ whole times!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Oh p-p-poor N-Naruto-Kun." Hinata stuttered out. Naruto nodded.

"And the mean man put a kunai to my neck. See I still have a cut!" Naruto exclaimed. He proudly showed off a tiny mark, where it was obvious that the head Cloud Ninja had pierced his skin lightly. Rekei knew it must have been to make Hizashi Hyuga and Mikoto Uchiha back away from him.

"After he did that, Hizashi-San hit him real hard and he let go of me and Auntie Mikoto caught me. She gave me to my Mom, and my Mom was so upset that she was crying!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Your Mom doesn't cry!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Well she did because she said that she was so scared she was gonna lose me forever and ever." Naruto replied.

"So my Father saved you?" Neji asked.

"Yeah. But someone is coming from Cloud today. Because the man who got hit by your Dad, died, and they're really mad about it." Naruto replied, as he nodded. Rekei felt a little ill as he heard the child describe his experience. Then he looked at the other boy, Neji, and realised that if his negotiations went the way he wanted them to, then that boy would lose his father, the same way Rekei himself had lost a father on a mission.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Minato, Hiashi and Hizashi had walked over to the park. All three of them were out of ideas. This discussion wasn't going to be easy. That was when the men saw the Cloud representative, talking to Sasuke and Naruto, and they stopped. They heard the whole conversation easily. Then they saw the look of guilt cross the representative's face, and smirked to each other.

"If I didn't know better, I'd swear that the two of them planned this together." Hizashi quipped.

"You mean Naruto and Sasuke?" Hiashi asked. Hizashi nodded.

"It's kinda scary actually." Minato quipped. The Hyuga twins looked at Minato curiously.

"Think about it. If they know what's going on, and they took the time to plan a strategy to use their childlike innocence to make the enemy feel guilty, and if it actually works, then they must be geniuses. Imagine that. Then imagine the fact that we didn't even notice that they're geniuses, and Naruto is my son." Minato quipped. Both Hyuga's thought about it for a moment, and then nodded their agreement.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Rekei sent a bird messenger to the council of elders in Cloud, as well as the Raikage. He felt that it wasn't fair for him to take away the father of another child when it could be avoided. Of course he didn't put it that way in his letter. He just stated that Konoha was a tough nut to crack and that the plan had become unviable. Especially as he'd also found out that Hizashi Hyuga was of the Branch family of the Hyuga clan. That meant that his execution wouldn't allow them any secrets into the Byakugan anyway. The caged bird seal prevented this. If it had been Hiashi Hyuga then he wouldn't be able to say this, but it had been Hizashi to end the Ninja's life. There was nothing any of them could do about it.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke and Naruto snuck over to the Hokage Tower a few days later, once the Cloud representative had left of course, and listened to see if their plan had worked.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Minato was amazed as he sat in his office.

"They actually gave it up. The representative, Rekei, gave up, saying that it wasn't in the best interests of peace with Konoha for them to carry on this dispute over revenge." Minato stated. Kushina blinked.

"What do you think it was?" Kushina asked.

"I think it was our son being a lot more intelligent then he leads us to believe." Minato quipped. Kushina couldn't help laughing then, at the confused look on Minato's face.

"Oh, by the way, seeing as this seems to be the right time to tell you. I'm pregnant." Kushina stated. Minato, who had just started to drink from a glass of water, spat out a mouthful of the liquid and started coughing. Kushina began laughing again.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke grinned at each other then left the Hokage Tower.

"That really creeped me out." Sasuke stated.

"What did?" Naruto asked.

"Us acting like a pair of innocent kids." Sasuke replied.

"How are we going to react to our parents hiding their pregnancy news?" Sasuke quipped. Naruto grinned evilly.

"Act like kids would?" Naruto questioned back.

"If you can handle pretending to be innocent for a little while." Naruto added. Sasuke smirked evilly as he caught on to Naruto's idea.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

That evening, while Itachi and Sasuke were sat at the dinner table with their mother, Mikoto decided to make an announcement.

"Boys there is something I have to tell you." Mikoto started. Both Sasuke and Itachi looked at Mikoto, waiting for her to carry on.

"I went to see a medic nin for a check up. I was hoping to go back on duty as a Kunoichi of Konoha. But they told me that I'm pregnant." Mikoto finished. Itachi and Sasuke stared.

"What does pregnant mean?" Sasuke asked. His big eyes were looking at Mikoto innocently.

"It means that Mother is going to have a baby." Itachi replied before Mikoto needed to answer. Sasuke looked at Itachi quizzically.

"But I thought there had to be a Mother _and_ a Father for a baby to come?" Sasuke asked cutely.

"There does. You see this happened before your father died Sasuke." Mikoto replied.

"How comes you didn't know until now then?" Sasuke asked. Mikoto and Itachi both sighed.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina and Minato were sat with Tenshiko and Naruto at the dinner table.

"Naruto, Tenshiko, we have something to tell you." Minato started.

"What is it Mom?" Naruto asked cutely.

"Well, you're going to have a new brother or sister." Kushina replied. Naruto cocked his head to one side.

"How comes?" Naruto asked. Tenshiko tried not to giggle into her food.

"Well because there are things that happen between a Mom and a Dad that sometimes makes babies in a Mom's stomach." Minato replied.

"What things?" Naruto asked. His big, innocent blue eyes bored straight into Kushina and Minato's souls.

"Adult things." Kushina tried to head off her son.

"What adult things?" Naruto asked.

"Things that are hard for you to understand Naruto. But you will when you get older." Minato tried to end the conversation.

"Is that like that stuff that Kakashi reads? He has this big orange book that he carries all the time and it's got adult things in it. That's what Kakashi said when he came to visit." Naruto asked. Kushina turned as red as her hair and Minato had a furious look on his face.

"When I find Kakashi I'm going to kill him." Minato hissed.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Somewhere, on a mission in Suna, Kakashi Hatake sneezed loudly. Then he shrugged and carried on reading his Icha Icha Paradise book.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Why would you want to kill Kakashi?" Naruto asked. Tenshiko was out right laughing now.

"For... special reasons Naruto." Minato replied.

"Am I getting a brother or a sister?" Naruto asked Kushina.

"I don't know yet." Kushina replied.

"How comes?" Naruto asked. Kushina and Minato both banged their heads on the table while Tenshiko carried on laughing.

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Okay all that's the end of this chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed it. Please R&R and let me know what you think of course. I'll catch you all next time I update readers.


	9. Some Things Never Change

Okay all here's the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and added me to their faves and alert lists. It's very much appreciated.

I'm sorry that it's taken me ages to update but life has been rather hectic for me lately, so I haven't been jumping at my laptop for a while. I've been rather busy helping my poor Mom to clean up the entire house. I'm not sure when I'll be updating next, but I try to make it a habit to update at least once or twice a month. You see my Mom is having surgery and she won't be allowed to move around a lot afterwards, so I will be (unfortunately as it were) taking over the household until she's up and about. I apologise to all of you that have to wait for my updates, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for your patience everyone.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Nine – Some Things Never Change... But Some Things Do.

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Two weeks after Naruto found out he was going to have a new sibling, Naruto finally managed to contact Kyubi in his sleep. He had too many questions that needed answering and he knew Kyubi would be the only one who could answer the questions.

"What do you want Gaki!" Kyubi grumbled.

"I need to ask you some questions." Naruto said.

"Hurry up. I'm tired." Kyubi replied.

"Why is it that Sasuke and I are acting more like children? I mean we were adults when this whole thing started but we're acting more like kids every day." Naruto asked.

"That's an easy question to answer. The timeline was warped when we went back in time. Originally your parents were dead. Your cousin was also killed, and the whole Uchiha clan was massacred. However because we travelled back it created a slight warp. Things are different because we travelled back in time. Because of this your mind isn't exactly reverting back to childhood, but your mind is reacting the way your body does. It's a natural instinct. So now you and the Uchiha, are acting more like children because you _are_ children and while you still have memories from the original timeline your bodies are still catching up. It's a natural part of the jutsu I used." Kyubi replied.

"So this is our timeline but we warped it by travelling backwards?" Naruto asked.

"Yes." Kyubi replied.

"So what does that mean for things that might change in the future?" Naruto asked.

"Don't you mean things that you might want to change?" Kyubi questioned. Naruto nodded.

"It means that there are things that have already changed. Such as, with your father still alive, there will be no need to go and find your beloved Tsunade Baa-Chan. Unless of course you find a reason. There are things you will have to do to change things to your needs. Of course there are things you will not be able to change no matter how hard you try." Kyubi answered.

"Like what?" Naruto asked. He was almost afraid of what he might hear.

"Like the invasion by Suna and Oto." Kyubi replied.

"Or the death of the Third Hokage." Kyubi added. Naruto glared.

"I know how it happened so I can stop it." Naruto stated.

"I don't believe so but if you think you can change it then you are welcome to try." Kyubi quipped. Naruto pouted for a second before he asked another question.

"Was my Mom your host before I was?" Naruto asked.

"I never thought I would hear you ask that question." Kyubi stated.

"Just answer the question furball." Naruto shot out. Kyubi sighed.

"Yes she was." Kyubi answered.

"How did you manage to leave her body and try to destroy Konoha then?" Naruto asked.

"That might be a story best left for another time." Kyubi replied. Before Naruto could argue, he found himself awake in his bed, hearing someone knocking on his door. Naruto glared to himself slightly before he got out of bed and answered the door to Tenshiko, who told him to come down for breakfast.

xXxXxXx JULY xXxXxXx

Naruto was staring at the little blue envelope in his hand. Sasuke was next to him.

"It's a birthday party Naruto. Mentally we're both too old for it, but parents always want to give their kids birthday parties." Sasuke stated. It was Sasuke's birthday in a week and Naruto had already explained what Kyubi had told him before.

"I know. It's just..." Naruto trailed off. No one had ever invited Naruto to a birthday party in their timeline.

"Don't worry about it Naruto. Just be yourself. I don't want you to act differently." Sasuke quipped. He could tell what Naruto was thinking without even having to ask him. Naruto nodded.

"Okay Sasuke. It's just..." Naruto trailed off again.

"Weird?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded and both boys smiled. Sasuke smiled a lot more often now then he had before.

xXxXxXx JULY 23rd - SASUKE'S BIRTHDAY xXxXxXx

It seemed that every child in the village had turned up for Sasuke's birthday. Sasuke nibbled at his lip nervously. Naruto wasn't there yet. The only reason Sasuke had even carried on with this was so Naruto could experience what it was like to actually come to a birthday party. That was when Naruto arrived, with Kushina holding on to his hand. Sasuke smirked a little. Naruto was just a tiny bit uncomfortable with his hand being held, but Sasuke was the only one who noticed. He knew Naruto wouldn't want to hurt his mother's feelings after never having a mother.

It had been a couple of months since "the announcement" and Mikoto was six months pregnant. Kushina was three months. Both women sported baby bumps and were happy to talk about their aches and pains, or cravings. Kushina had just stopped having morning sickness and was always wanting to eat sushi, even though the very thought reviled her before. Mikoto now seemed to be obsessed with Ramen. Usually chicken or pork Ramen.

Now the two women greeted each other, and Naruto handed Sasuke a small present.

"I know you don't want toys or need training equipment. I figured that you might want something else instead." Naruto whispered. Sasuke opened the little parcel and found a small Uchiha fan pendant on a piece of thick, black cord.

"It's special. My Dad was telling me about the rocks around the mouth of the Nakano River. They say if you channel chakra into them then someone holding another part of the rock can feel your chakra. Dad said a lot of Shinobi used it during the first great Shinobi war to tell their comrades that they were in danger." Naruto said softly.

"So how did you find one that looked like the Uchiha fan?" Sasuke asked.

"I made it look like that. I used Rasengan to fine carve it." Naruto whispered proudly. Sasuke grinned.

"So where's your one then?" Sasuke asked. Naruto grinned and tugged at a black cord around his neck, pulling out a small carving of a swirl in a circle. Sasuke couldn't help smiling. They'd found out that the swirl on all of Naruto's clothing was Kushina's family crest.

Just at that moment, a woman came over to stand in front of Mikoto. Her son was stood off to the side. She took special care to avoid Naruto and spoke to Mikoto.

"I'm sorry Mikoto-San but we have to leave." The woman said coldly. Mikoto gave the woman a strange look.

"Really? I thought you said that Hano was excited about this and that you wanted to make sure you arrived here on time Sali?" Mikoto stated blandly.

"That was before we knew you had a demon coming to your home." Sali hissed. Kushina clenched her fists angrily.

"What _demon_ might you be talking about Sali?" Kushina hissed.

"We all know the truth about that brat of yours Kushina. The Fourth Hokage turned the fox into a baby. Why you chose to raise it, is beyond me. It could be something to do with your own _history_ huh?" Sali stated coldly.

Naruto and Sasuke could see that Kushina was shaking with rage. Naruto ran over to his mother and took hold of her hand.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Naruto asked. He knew what was wrong, but he needed to act innocent in the hope of calming his pregnant mother down. Kushina picked up Naruto and held him tightly, hugging him as she calmed down.

"Nothing's wrong sweetie. Nothing is wrong at all. It's okay Naruto. Go and play with Sasuke okay?" Kushina said softly. Naruto nodded and Kushina put him down. Naruto went back over to stand with Sasuke. Both boys were watching out of the corner of one of their eyes as they pretended to talk about nonsense.

Kushina looked at Sali hatefully.

"Naruto is a little boy. He is not a demon. If you weren't so brain dead maybe you'd be able to figure that out." Kushina hissed out. Sali smirked.

"You would say that wouldn't you. Like mother like son right?" Sali stated. Kushina raised a fist, and before anyone could say a single word she had punched the women, square in the face. Sali went flying and the other guests stared in shock as the woman wobbled about unsteadily after she managed to pick herself up. Kushina had a cold look on her face as she glared at the wobbling woman.

"If you ever speak about myself or my son like that again I promise you that you'll get worse from me. That goes for anyone else who thinks it's alright to talk badly about my child." Kushina stated fiercely. Naruto and Sasuke stared in awe. After all, they didn't usually see Kushina get mad.

"And you're going to let her talk to your guest like that?" Sali asked Mikoto.

"As a matter of fact, Kushina is my guest too. By my invitation and Naruto is Sasuke's best friend. If anyone has a problem with Naruto or Kushina being here then feel free to leave right now." Mikoto stated.

A few mothers grabbed hold of their children and left. One such mother was Ino's, and Ino looked sadly at Naruto and Sasuke as she was led away. Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, Lee, Neji, Ten Ten Sakura and Hinata were still there. Neji and Hinata had been brought by Hizashi, and neither of the Hyuga twins had felt that Naruto was a danger to their children. It seemed that quite a few parents actually didn't think Naruto was evil. However the majority of people still did. That hurt Naruto more than anything. People still saw him as a monster.

xXxXxXx SEPTEMBER 5th 4 O CLOCK PM xXxXxXx

Naruto couldn't believe it when he walked into Sasuke's house and saw Mikoto trying to move furniture around.

"Auntie Mikoto! You should be sitting down and resting!" Naruto yelled. Mikoto looked at Naruto curiously, and then shrugged as she carried on pushing a sofa around the living room. Naruto was wide eyed as Sasuke came out of his room.

"She's been doing this since three o clock this morning." Sasuke whispered.

"Really? I thought pregnant women were supposed to rest?" Naruto whispered back.

"My Mother doesn't. She's gone totally crazy. She bit Itachi's head off this morning when he tried to help her out. Then she cried when she dropped a spoonful of food on the table and said we thought she was fat. Itachi went out after Mother yelled at him for having a glass of water. She didn't want the glass to get dirty." Sasuke uttered as he cringed. Naruto's eyes went wide.

"What about my Mom?" Naruto whispered.

"Just hope she's saner then my Mother." Sasuke replied. Naruto's eyes went wide as he pictured his own mother.

"Nah your Mom was always the saner one. My Mom is crazy all by herself. I think I better write out my will. You can have my instant ramen cups that I stored under my bed." Naruto stated seriously. Sasuke smirked. That was when there was a knock at the door.

Sasuke went to answer it but Mikoto practically ran to the door. People didn't usually knock if they knew Mikoto well, like Naruto, who would just usually walk in. However, when Mikoto opened the door, and saw Tenshiko standing there, the woman almost threw a fit.

"Tenshiko you know you don't have to knock!" Mikoto yelled. Tenshiko put her hands over her ears and nodded. Then Mikoto started crying.

"I'm sorry Tenshiko-Chan! I'm so sorry I yelled at you! I didn't mean it!" Mikoto wailed as she hugged Tenshiko tightly. Tenshiko just nodded and allowed herself to be squashed for a few moments.

"Auntie Mikoto? Is Naruto here?" Tenshiko asked. Mikoto nodded.

"What's wrong?" Mikoto asked seriously.

"Auntie Kushina went into labour." Tenshiko said softly. Mikoto's eyes started welling up again.

"Oh no! The baby's early! I have to go and see how she's doing!" Mikoto wailed. That was when there was a splash of water, and Tenshiko, Sasuke and Naruto all stared in horror.

"Oh no." Mikoto said softly.

"Oh Kami!" Tenshiko exclaimed.

"Oh great." Both boys stated sarcastically. That was when things started to get hectic.

xXxXxXx FIFTEEN MINUTES (and Thirty Seven Seconds) LATER xXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke walked with Mikoto into the hospital. Tenshiko had gone to find Itachi (wherever the teen had gotten to after Mikoto had screamed at him this morning) and both boys were quite nervous. Minato was sat in the waiting room while Kushina was being checked over and saw the boys come in.

"Oh no!" Minato exclaimed.

"What's that supposed to mean Minato?" Mikoto yelled. Then, as seemed to be normal for Mikoto, her eyes welled up with tears and she started crying.

"I'm sorry Minato! I always seem to be yelling!" Mikoto wailed. Naruto and Sasuke both sighed and had the exact same thought.

"_This is going to be a LONG night."_

xXxXxXx THREE HOURS (Ten Minutes and fifty Seven Seconds) LATER xXxXxXx

Itachi, Tenshiko, Naruto and Sasuke were sitting in the waiting room. It turned out that Kushina really was going in to early labour and Mikoto was also in labour early. Although all three boys had a feeling that Mikoto had gone in to early labour because she had spent all last night moving furniture around by herself.

Surprisingly, a few moments later, one of the medic nins came out of a delivery room.

"Itachi, Sasuke, your mother wants to see you." The female said kindly.

"Is she okay?" Itachi asked.

"She's fine. You have a sister." The medic nin replied. Naruto grinned at Sasuke.

"Congratulations Teme!" Naruto exclaimed. Sasuke smirked as he was led into the room.

A few moments later, Minato came out of the room next door and knelt down in front of Naruto and Tenshiko.

"Naruto, go and get a can of Soda okay." Minato said softly. Naruto nodded and took the change that his father had given him for the vending machine. He waited around the corner to hear what his father was going to say to Tenshiko.

"What's wrong with Auntie Kushina, Uncle Minato?" Tenshiko asked.

"The baby's too early. They're worried that it's not able to breathe right and your aunt isn't very well. They want to perform a caesarean to get the baby out safely." Minato replied.

"Is Auntie Kushina okay with that?" Tenshiko asked. Minato nodded.

"I'm going to take Naruto to see your aunt before they do anything. You can go in first. I'll take him in when he comes back. It's... it's just in case." Minato said softly. Tenshiko nodded and walked into her Aunt's room.

Naruto stayed round that corner for a few minutes, as he tried to stem the tears that threatened to leak from his eyes. He hadn't had a mother for long enough to lose her now. Besides that, now he loved her dearly. After all, you couldn't miss what you hadn't had before, but now he had her, Naruto didn't want to lose his mother. He walked slowly to the vending machine and got a can of cherry soda. It was his Mom's favourite drink. Then he walked in to the bathroom and stared at the can while he cried.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Iruka Umino had just visited a friend of his at the hospital after he'd finished his extra duties. He heard a strange sound, like a child crying, as he went past the bathroom. When he went in he was shocked to see Naruto there, staring at a can of cherry soda, crying. He wasn't used to the blond ball of sunshine ever being upset.

"Naruto?" Iruka called to the boy kindly. Naruto spun around, and Iruka could see the tears on his face.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Iruka asked gently. He was very surprised when Naruto threw himself into Iruka's arms and sobbed more loudly.

"Iruka-Sensei! Something bad might happen to my Mom and I don't want her to die! I never had a brother or sister before, unless you count Sasuke! I know I've got Tenshiko but I want my Mom to be okay!" Naruto sobbed into his teacher's chest. Iruka just hugged the boy tightly and let him cry. After all, he knew exactly what it was like to lose a mother.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke and Itachi approached Mikoto, who was sitting up in a bed, holding a pink blanketed bundle in her arms.

"Hi boys." Mikoto said gently. The bundle stirred and gurgled. For once, Sasuke was fascinated. He'd never really approached a baby before. He'd seen babies, of course he'd seen them, but this was totally different. This was _his_ sister. He looked at the baby and couldn't help thinking that she was cute. Her tiny perfect face was peaceful in sleep, and Sasuke could see that her hands wouldn't even be able to wrap around his little finger. Her dark hair was curled over her forehead. He wondered if this was how Itachi felt when he'd seen Sasuke as a newborn. He decided to ask his brother later.

"What's her name Mother?" Sasuke asked. Mikoto smiled widely.

"Her name is Hikaru." Mikoto replied gently. Almost as if hearing her name, the baby opened her onyx eyes, even though they were bleary and unfocused, and gurgled loudly. Then her eyes closed again, and Hikaru Uchiha was sleeping once more.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tenshiko looked at her aunt, who seemed to be in pain.

"Hey Tenshiko. Is Naruto alright?" Kushina asked softly. Tenshiko nodded.

"He doesn't know what's going on." Tenshiko replied.

"It's probably better that way. I don't want him to be upset." Kushina said sadly.

"You'll be okay Auntie Kushina. You're one of the strongest people I know. You'll be fine." Tenshiko said sternly. Kushina half grinned and half grimaced at her niece.

"Thanks Tenshiko. I almost forgot that." Kushina stated. Both females giggled a little. They talked for a little while when Kushina looked out of the window.

"You know it's a full moon tonight." Kushina stated. Before Tenshiko could make a reply, they heard a knock on the door.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Minato got worried about Naruto after a little while and went looking for his only son. He found him rather quickly. He was surprised to see Naruto hugging his teacher and crying for all he was worth. Iruka saw him first and gave the young boy a nudge. Naruto looked up to see his father and wiped away the traces of his tears.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Minato asked kindly.

"I heard you and Tenshiko-Chan talking." Naruto replied softly. Minato nodded. He looked at Iruka, who'd stood up.

"Thanks Iruka-San." Minato said softly before the Chunin made to leave. Iruka nodded his understanding and looked at Naruto.

"I'll see you on Monday right Naruto?" Iruka said kindly. Naruto nodded vigorously.

"Thanks Iruka-Sensei." Naruto said softly. Iruka nodded and ruffled the boys blond spikes before he left.

"Naruto, you don't ever have to be afraid to cry in front of me." Minato said softly. Naruto nodded.

"I know Dad. I just... I didn't want you to be upset." Naruto replied. Minato picked Naruto up, along with the can of cherry soda.

"I didn't think you liked cherry soda." Minato stated. Naruto nodded.

"I don't mind it. It's Mom's favourite." Naruto replied. Minato took Naruto to the room, where Kushina was waiting for him, and knocked on the door. As he sent Naruto in, he couldn't help releasing a few of his own tears.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto walked into the hospital room, and saw his Mom sitting up in bed. He could see she was trying to hide her pain, but Naruto could tell it was there. So he did the only thing he could. He tried to make his mother feel better.

"I bought you cherry soda Mom!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully. Kushina grinned at her son.

"Wow! See what a caring son I've got?" Kushina said to Tenshiko. Tenshiko gave a soft smile of her own and left the room.

"Mom?" Naruto asked softly.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Kushina asked.

"I know what's going on. I heard Dad and Tenshiko-Chan talking about it." Naruto said softly. Kushina looked at Naruto sadly.

"Don't be sad Mom!" Naruto exclaimed. He climbed up on a chair (cursing being too small to just sit on the bed by himself mentally) and sat next to his Mom, hugging her tightly.

"I love you Mom." He said softly. Kushina hugged her son back.

"I love you too sweetie." Kushina replied.

"I hope the baby has red hair like you Mom." Naruto stated. That made Kushina laugh.

"Really?" Kushina asked. Naruto nodded.

"Your hair's really pretty Mom." Naruto replied. Kushina hugged Naruto even tighter.

"I love you Naruto. Never forget that." Kushina said softly. Naruto nodded.

That was when the door opened and Minato stood there. A medic nin was also waiting.

"I'll see you soon Naruto." Kushina whispered.

"I know Mom." Naruto whispered back. He allowed his Dad to pick him up and watched as they wheeled his mother away. He hoped she would be alright.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Mikoto Uchiha was curious. It had been a while but she hadn't heard anything about Kushina. That was when there was a knock at the door. Itachi went to open it, and Minato stood outside.

"Is Kushina alright?" Mikoto asked. She saw the look on Minato's face then told the boys to wait outside for a moment.

"What happened?" Mikoto asked.

"The baby is too early. They're saying that there are complications. I don't want anything to happen to her." Minato said softly. Mikoto nodded her understanding.

"She's strong Minato. She'll be fine. I have a good feeling." Mikoto said. Minato gave a sad smile.

"I hope you're right Mikoto." Minato said.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke and Itachi's eyes widened.

"I'm going to talk to Naruto." Sasuke said seriously. Itachi nodded and watched his little brother run off to comfort his friend. Sometimes Itachi wondered if the two boys were smarter than they ever let on.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke found Naruto quickly.

"Are you okay Dobe?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded.

"I just never thought it could hurt so much." Naruto replied.

"My Mother thinks she's going to be fine. Your Mother is really tough." Sasuke stated. Naruto smiled.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up Teme." Naruto replied. Sasuke gave a half smile.

"So you have a sister?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded.

"Mother called her Hikaru." Sasuke replied. Naruto nodded.

"That sounds right." Naruto said. The two boys sat together waiting to hear that Naruto's mother was alright.

xXxXxXx ONE HOUR LATER xXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke saw a medic nin coming down the hall and stop in front of Naruto's father. They went over to listen to what was happening. After all, both Naruto and Sasuke wanted to know if Kushina was alright.

"Hokage-Sama, the baby is fine. She's a strong, healthy girl. We thought she might be underweight but she seems to be perfect." The medic nin said.

"And my wife?" Minato asked.

"She's also fine." The medic nin said. Minato breathed a sigh of relief. Naruto and Sasuke grinned cheerfully.

"Congratulations Dobe." Sasuke stated.

"Well our Mom's both wanted girls right?" Naruto stated. Both boys felt a weight lift from their shoulders as they knew Kushina was alright. Itachi came over and both he and Sasuke watched Naruto and Tenshiko go off down the corridor.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto found himself face to face with his exhausted mother, who was holding a wriggling bundle of pink. Before Naruto could say a word Minato lifted him to sit on the bed next his mother. Naruto looked at the wriggling bundle, who was wailing pitifully. Her face was as red as her red hair.

"What's her name?" Naruto asked. Tenshiko grinned.

"She's beautiful Auntie Kushina." Tenshiko said kindly. Minato stood to the side. He and Kushina looked at each other before answering Naruto's question.

"Her name is Tsuki." Kushina said gently. Naruto smiled at the wailing baby.

"Can I hold her?" Naruto asked. He'd never been allowed near a small baby before. Minato and Kushina looked at each before Kushina gestured to Naruto sit closer to her. Naruto did as he was asked.

"Now make your hands into a cradle like I'm doing Naruto." Kushina said gently. Naruto nodded and did as he was told. Suddenly a weight was placed in his arms. He looked down at little Tsuki, who had now stopped wailing to look up at her brother. Her eyes weren't focused. Naruto knew that babies couldn't see for a certain time after they were born. But Naruto couldn't help that little moment in his mind, when he thought his baby sister had looked at him, really looked.

"Don't you worry Tsuki-Chan because I'll always look after you." Naruto whispered to the small, red-haired baby. She gurgled and was still wriggling as the family got used to their new member.

xXxXxXx OCTOBER 10th xXxXxXx

Naruto didn't want to go to school today. In fact he wanted to hide away in his bedroom and not move from his bed. Today was his eighth birthday. His birthday had never been greeted with much enthusiasm. Of course he'd never spent a birthday with a family before. That morning, Naruto was surprised when he heard someone enter his room, and he had the quilt pulled over his head. He felt someone tickling him through the sheets.

"I dun wanna get up." Naruto muttered.

"That's a shame, all those chocolate chip pancakes I made will go to waste. I'll have to just give them all to Sasuke." Naruto heard his Mom say. At first Naruto didn't register what his mother was saying at all. After a few minutes, Naruto finally registered what his Mom had said. Sasuke was there? Chocolate chip pancakes? Sasuke getting them all? Naruto soon shot up out of bed, making Kushina laugh.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto was sat with Sasuke in the kitchen and happily eating chocolate chip pancakes. Sasuke always preferred his with strawberries. The two boys were happily eating. Kushina then gave Naruto a little bag. Naruto looked in the bag and saw the same blue envelopes that Sasuke had handed out.

"Mom? Do I have to have a birthday party?" Naruto asked.

"Why not?" Kushina asked. Naruto felt that something was about to go wrong when he placed the invitations in his school bag.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

As Naruto and Sasuke walked through the village, random civilians glared at Naruto fiercely. Sasuke glared back at the villagers. Naruto felt the same old feelings he'd had as a child crawl up in to his heart. He felt Sasuke standing next to him and felt slightly better. As they got to the gates of the Academy, Sasuke stopped Naruto and handed him a small box.

"I wanted to give this to you before we went in to class." Sasuke said softly. His face showed a tinge of a blush and Naruto knew that Sasuke was just a little embarrassed.

"Thanks Sasuke." Naruto said. He opened the little box and found a silver half of a medallion inside. It had the Uchiha fan on it.

"My half has your swirl on it." Sasuke said quickly. Naruto grinned.

"Thanks Sasuke." Naruto said. He placed the pendant on the piece of string that had his stone on it. Naruto grinned at Sasuke cheerfully.

"You used fire jutsu didn't you?" Naruto questioned. Sasuke nodded. Naruto pulled out one of the birthday invitations and handed it to Sasuke. Sasuke smirked and Naruto grinned as they walked in to the academy together.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

At the end of the day, Naruto handed out birthday invitations. He handed out invitations to Neji and Hinata, then Sakura, then Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba, then to Lee and Ten Ten and Shino. Finally Naruto went over to Ino. Her mother stood there waiting, glaring at Naruto fiercely. Naruto handed an invitation to Ino.

"I know that you don't like me Yamanaka-San, but Ino is my friend and I don't want her to be sad, so please let her come." Naruto said kindly. Then he left the woman to fume, while Ino couldn't help the smile that graced her face.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Later that day Naruto sat there wondering why on earth he'd ever handed out the invitations. Sasuke was with him. Mikoto and Kushina were chatting away in the kitchen, and Hikaru and Tsuki were lying on a big quilted mat on the floor. Tsuki was wriggling around as always, while Hikaru was peacefully staring at her companion. Of course now that Tsuki was over a month old, her face wasn't bright red, except when she cried. However whenever Kushina and Minato couldn't stop Tsuki wailing they bought her straight to Naruto. It seemed she had a great affection for her Aniki and she never cried when placed in his arms. Hikaru had the same sort of quiet affection for Sasuke. Itachi and Tenshiko found this amusing most of the time.

At that moment there was a knock at the door. Kushina left the kitchen to get it and found Inoichi Yamanaka outside, with Ino and Sakura.

"Hello Kushina." Inoichi said kindly. Ino and Sakura both ran inside to say hello to Naruto. Naruto was amazed that Ino was there. He concentrated for a few moments to listen to what Inoichi was saying.

"I'm sorry that my wife seems to be so ignorant of Naruto. She lost her parents when Kyubi attacked the village. But I insisted on bringing Ino to Naruto's birthday. She and Sakura really seem to like him and Sasuke." Inoichi told Kushina. This made Kushina and Mikoto grin.

xXxXxXx THREE HOURS LATER xXxXxXx

Everyone Naruto had invited had turned up. Even his beloved Iruka-Sensei. Naruto had never outgrown the bond that he'd always shared with Iruka. Minato and Kushina were both wondering when Naruto created such a huge bond with the Chunin Academy teacher.

"Iruka-Sensei! Look at what Mom made!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, and showed his teacher a pot of Ramen. Iruka couldn't help grinning at the boy and ruffling his hair.

"He really seems to get on with Iruka-San." Kushina said to her husband. Minato nodded.

"Maybe it's just me but sometimes Naruto acts like Iruka is a second father or something." Minato quipped.

"Nah, more like a big brother." Kushina stated. Both parents were happy to see that at least one of Naruto's teachers could stand him.

Kiba and Naruto started bickering, and Sasuke soon stepped in, not allowing the boys to come to blows. Mikoto and Kushina thought that was extremely cute. Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Ten Ten were all talking about normal things, and also trying to drag Naruto over to play with them. Hinata wasn't so shy around Naruto anymore. After the whole cloud ninja incident, Neji seemed to actually like Naruto, for speaking well about his father. Hinata was usually found with Neji, who would protect her without any complaint. Naruto and Sasuke talked to some of their classmates now. Mostly their old rookie friends, so Hinata had lost her shyness, after realising that Naruto wasn't going to stop talking to her because she was shy.

Kushina pulled out the birthday cake and Minato lit the candles for Naruto. Even though mentally, both Naruto and Sasuke were too old for candles on a cake, they both played along. Although Naruto, after everyone had sung happy birthday, couldn't help making a wish as he blew out his candles. He wished that Tsuki and Hikaru would always be able to remain friends.

That moment was when everything started to go wrong. The door was yanked open, and there stood Ino's mother, fuming. Ino hid behind Sakura and hoped that she wouldn't notice her. Ino wasn't that lucky.

"Ino! Come here now!" Her mother called her, and Ino did as she was told, looking at everyone else sadly.

"Is there a problem?" Minato asked sternly. Ino's mother glared fiercely at the floor. No one would dare to glare at the Fourth Hokage.

"My daughter is here without my permission." Ino's mother hissed.

"Oh? Didn't you send her with her father?" Kushina asked.

"Not to come _here_ I didn't." Ino's mother replied. Minato glared angrily.

"Are you trying to say there is something wrong with my home?" Minato asked coldly. Kushina could see the anger welling up within her husband.

"You have a demon living in your house! Of course there's something wrong with it!" Ino's mother exclaimed angrily. Minato had a cold, hard look of determination on his face as he stepped in front of Ino's mother. A woman was a woman, but a Ninja was a ninja, and Ino's mother had been a Kunoichi for years.

"What demon might you be referring to?" Minato asked coldly.

"The one that you call your son." Ino's mother replied. Kushina snarled angrily as she made to punch Ino's mother.

"Mom don't!" Naruto called out. He ran to his parents' side in an instant. Minato and Kushina looked down at Naruto, and both calmed down. Naruto looked at Ino's mother.

"I'm sorry that you don't like me. Just because you think I'm a demon. I can't make you think differently. Thank you for coming Ino-Chan. I'm sorry if you get in to any trouble." Naruto bowed. Ino bowed back.

"Thank you for inviting me Naruto. It was lots of fun." Ino replied softly. Her mother glared and she stayed silent. But all the children smiled at Ino and she smiled back. Then her mother dragged her daughter away, and both Naruto and Sasuke felt a slight wave of sadness. But it soon lifted. After all, if everything went the way they wanted it too, then Ino would be their friend anyway. Inoichi apologised profusely for his wife's behaviour and went to go after her to make sure that she didn't yell at Ino too much.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina and Minato were amazed at the good grace their son had showed to the rude mother of his friend. After the party, when Naruto was holding little Tsuki and feeding her a bottle of milk, Minato and Kushina sat down next to him.

"Naruto we just wanted to say that we're very proud of you." Minato said. Naruto looked at his parents with confusion written on his face.

"Why? What did I do?" Naruto asked.

"Because you behaved very well today. You could have let me punch Yamanaka-San. But you didn't. You showed us that even though you were insulted, that you could behave better than some grown-ups. That's why we're proud of you today." Kushina said. Naruto cocked his head to one side. The first time around, Naruto had had to grow up by himself, with no one to tell him when he was doing things right or wrong. When he'd gotten older, he had accepted that some people would never accept him because of Kyubi, so he tried to be gracious about it, in the hopes that his good nature would get through to those people eventually. He'd never been told that he was doing the right thing in such a way before. He grinned widely at his parents.

"Thanks Mom! Thanks Dad!" Naruto exclaimed. Tsuki gurgled whilst drinking her milk.

When Naruto put Tsuki in her crib that night, with his parents watching over him and Tenshiko ruffling his hair before she went to sleep, Naruto finally understood exactly what it was like to have a family.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay all that was an exceptionally long chapter. I was hoping to show that Naruto and Sasuke are still a little more adult, even if they are acting like kids sometimes. Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed it and I'll update soon. Please R&R and let me know what you think.


	10. An Emissary To Mist Country

Okay all here's chapter ten. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and added me to their faves and alert lists. I really appreciate it. I also appreciate everyone's patience with my updating slowly. Thanks all of you.

To my anonymous reviewer, cmm2, thanks so much for reviewing. I'm glad you liked last chapter and I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Another Chance.

Chapter Ten – An Emissary To Mist Country.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

One day in early May, Naruto came home from the academy one day to find his father preparing a pack. Naruto was extremely confused. After all, his father was supposed to be the Hokage and they were supposed to stay in the village.

"What's going on Dad?" Naruto asked. Minato grinned cheerfully at his son. Tsuki was already crawling towards Naruto, at a fast speed. Her red hair bouncing around her face. She sat down in front of Naruto and waited patiently for her Aniki to pick her up, which he did. Naruto picked Tsuki up and tickled her belly, and the baby started giggling loudly and wildly, as she wriggled around. Soon Naruto just held Tsuki gently, and she laid her small head on Naruto's shoulder and stuck her thumb in her mouth.

"Well Naruto, I'm going to Mist country, as an emissary for peace between Kiri and Konoha." Minato stated cheerfully. Naruto frowned and almost as though she sensed her brother's emotions, Tsuki started pouting at their father. Minato blinked in confusion.

"_Why the hell is Tsuki unhappy? She doesn't even know what's going on."_ Minato thought to himself.

"Why do you look so miserable? You're coming with me." Minato added. Naruto looked at Tsuki, who looked slightly betrayed.

"Tsuki's coming too. So are your Mom and Tenshiko. Tenshiko, Itachi and Hana are coming with Anko as their Sensei, as well as your Auntie Mikoto as an escort to make sure that we all get their safely. Because Itachi and Auntie Mikoto are going, Sasuke is coming too, with Hikaru." Minato stated. Naruto couldn't help grinning then.

"When are we going? And when are we coming back?" Naruto asked quickly. Tsuki was now happy again, now that she knew she wasn't being abandoned by her Aniki.

"We're leaving as soon as your Auntie Mikoto gets here with Sasuke and Hikaru. We're meeting Itachi, Tenshiko, Hana and Anko at the gates." Minato replied.

"We'll be gone for about a week, maybe more, and while we're gone, Sarutobi-San will be looking after the village." Minato added. Naruto couldn't help grinning as he went upstairs with Tsuki to prepare his own pack. He sat Tsuki in the middle of his bed and started looking for what he might need to pack. Tsuki sat in the middle of Naruto's bed giggling and playing with Gama-Chan, Naruto's all famous wallet. Naruto had had that wallet forever, and was shocked when he couldn't find it in this timeline. It turned out to be a present from Hinata on his birthday. He'd never known that Hinata had given him the little frog wallet the first time round. Like his beaver sleeping hat had come from Jiraiya when he was a small baby. Naruto hadn't known that either. Of course, Naruto couldn't remember meeting Jiraiya in this timeline. He must've seen his old Sensei when he was a baby. However Naruto was hoping to see him soon. He'd missed the old man.

"Naruto! Is Tsuki with you?" Naruto heard his Mom call. He grinned at the crawling eight month old and yelled back.

"Yeah Mom she's with me!" He called cheerfully. Tsuki fell down on her belly after crawling for a few moments and looked at Naruto cutely.

"Don't look at me Tsuki-Chan. If you don't learn to crawl on my bed, how are you going to walk? And if you don't learn to walk how are you gonna go to the Ninja academy with Hikaru-Chan and become a ninja like me?" Naruto asked the little baby. She blinked cutely for a few minutes before she attempted crawling on Naruto's soft bed again. This time she stayed up for much longer as Naruto watched her. Naruto couldn't help but grin at his baby sister.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke walked with his Mother towards Naruto's home. He was carrying Hikaru, who just stayed stoic and watched everything with calm appreciation. Although when Sasuke placed her in her playpen in the garden and she watched him practise his fire jutsus outside, she would laugh and gurgle, with big, bright, onyx eyes that sparkled with joy. Sasuke had felt a slight happiness at the idea that Naruto wouldn't be somewhere where he couldn't help him. As they approached the house, Sasuke saw Naruto sitting on the tree swing with Tsuki in his lap. Naruto saw them and waved. Tsuki clapped her hands together, almost applauding them as they came to the front porch. Sasuke walked over to Naruto with Hikaru, at a calm rate.

"Hey Teme!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully. "Hn Dobe." Sasuke quipped. Naruto shrugged and Tsuki reached out to play with Hikaru. Hikaru looked down at Tsuki with a calm look of indifference on her face. Tsuki let out a keening whine and Hikaru looked down at Tsuki, who carried on with her whining until Hikaru gurgled. Then Tsuki stopped whining and gurgled back.

"That's so creepy." Sasuke quipped.

"What? That they're babies and best friends?" Naruto asked.

"No that Tsuki acts just like you and Hikaru acts just like me." Sasuke replied. Naruto shrugged, and Tsuki gave Sasuke a curious look.

"I always thought you were the attention whore. I remember that weird ass outfit you got from Orochimaru." Naruto stated. Sasuke glared.

"Shut up Dobe!" Sasuke exclaimed. Hikaru didn't bother acknowledging the conversation, almost as if it was beneath her, while Tsuki stared at both boys intently, almost as though she were trying to catch every word.

"Okay boys we're going in a few minutes." Mikoto quipped. It seemed while Naruto and Sasuke had been having their half conversation, Mikoto had already gone into the house and spoke to Minato and Kushina.

"Naruto, your Mother said to go to her so she can check that you have everything." Mikoto stated. Naruto nodded and placed Tsuki in Sasuke's arms. Sasuke glared at Naruto, who grinned and ran off, while Tsuki wriggled to get closer to Hikaru, who wriggled to get further away. Mikoto couldn't help laughing.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Not even an hour later, the group had already left the village and were travelling along the road. Naruto and Sasuke walked together with Itachi in front of them. Hana was behind them, with Kushina and Minato behind her, both holding a baby. Mikoto was in between Minato and Kushina, while Tenshiko was at the back of the group. Anko would go from the back to the front periodically, not allowing her students to lag. Naruto couldn't help remembering the Anko he'd known. In the original timeline, Anko had stayed a loner, but she had also been someone that Naruto had respected.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The journey to Mist Country hadn't gone badly. In fact it had been almost pleasant. Both Naruto and Sasuke were thinking the same thing. Had Zabuza Momochi defected from Kiri yet? Had he even met Haku? Naruto and Sasuke walked in to the Mizukage's office with the rest of the group, and both of them stopped. They knew that chakra. They knew it very well. It was Madara Uchiha. But of course they had figured this might be the case. After all, after the pair had compared notes of the things they knew in the original timeline, they had found out that Kisame called Madara 'Mizukage-Sama' on several occasions. They figured that he must have been the Mizukage at some point. So they pretended that they were very happy to meet him and that they were glad to be in Mist country. That was of course when a pair of familiar faces came in to the office.

Naruto recognised Zabuza straight away. He could tell that the thin little boy next to him was Haku. Zabuza looked around to see the group of foreign ninja in the Mizukage's office and glared slightly.

"You should knock before barging in Zabuza." The Mizukage hissed. Zabuza glared back.

"I apologise Mizukage-Sama. I didn't realise that you had visitors." Zabuza replied. Naruto and Sasuke could hear the edge in his voice. Zabuza hated Madara as much as they did.

Naruto walked over to Zabuza and Haku. He stuck out his hand to Zabuza.

"I'm Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze!" Naruto introduced himself. Haku looked up at Zabuza, to gage his reaction, and then he took Naruto's offered hand.

"I'm Haku." The small boy said back. Naruto looked up at Zabuza.

"I like your sword." Naruto quipped. Zabuza smirked.

"Well Gaki when you become a true ninja you might be able to take it from me." Zabuza replied. Naruto looked at Zabuza curiously.

"I don't want to take your sword away. It looks better with you." Naruto quipped. Sasuke nodded from his position near Naruto. Zabuza shook his head in disbelief at the two children. Haku smiled at the two boys.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

That evening after the talks between him and the Mizukage, Minato sat next to Kushina.

"He wants to send one of his Ninja to our village as an offer of peace." Minato told Kushina.

"Do you know who?" Kushina asked. "One Kisame Hoshigaki. He's one of the seven swordsmen of the Hidden Mist." Minato said softly.

"You don't trust the Mizukage's plans do you?" Kushina said softly. Minato shook his head.

"There's something too familiar about his chakra. I don't like it. It reminds me of when Kyubi escaped you and attacked our village. Something is bothering me about all of this." Minato told Kushina. Neither of them knew that Sasuke and Naruto were listening in to the conversation.

The two boys looked at each other.

"He's trying to place an operative in Konoha so that he can abduct you when he gets the chance." Sasuke said angrily. Hikaru gurgled angrily in Sasuke's arms. Both boys were on baby duty before they went to bed.

"I know. Akatsuki's probably already been formed, and with Madara as the Mizukage, Kisame is probably already a member." Naruto replied. Tsuki pouted her expression was tearful.

"We need to figure out a way to manipulate this to our advantage." Sasuke quipped.

"I have a plan." Naruto stated. A bright grin spread across his face. Tsuki giggled and Hikaru stared calmly as the boys discussed their plan back in their own room.

xXxXxXx THE NEXT DAY xXxXxXx

Zabuza was furious. The Mizukage was sending Kisame to Konoha, and Zabuza knew it was for the express purpose of abducting the Hokage's son. That wasn't what bothered him. What bothered him was the idea of making a false treaty with Konoha just to abduct a child. Zabuza wasn't quite sure what it was that the Mizukage wanted with the Hokage's son, but he knew it couldn't be good. After all, the Mizukage had been making dark deals in dark corners for a while. Zabuza looked at Haku, who was sleeping peacefully. Sometimes he wondered if he was raising the orphan boy the right way. After all, the boy seemed far too innocent to be learning how to kill. Zabuza glared slightly when he saw the two boys from yesterday running along the street. The blond one, Naruto, was the Hokage's son. Zabuza couldn't help wondering what would happen to the child if the Mizukage got his way. How could you not wonder about a child that seemed so cheerfully happy?

Haku woke up then.

"Zabuza-San?" Haku asked curiously.

"I want you to go and make friends with those two Gakis from yesterday. I want you to learn as much about them as you can." Zabuza told Haku seriously. The boy nodded and got dressed quickly, and then he ran off to find Sasuke and Naruto. Zabuza sat by himself thinking of exactly what plan he needed to concoct to survive now.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke were just running laps around the village. After all, they needed to keep training, and their own particular brand of training session would be too suspicious in Kiri. They didn't want Madara taking an interest in them. That was when they noticed someone running towards them. Naruto smirked when he saw Haku. He gave Sasuke a hand signal and Sasuke looked to see Haku also. The two boys waited for Haku to catch up.

"Hi Haku!" Naruto exclaimed. He always felt happy to see Haku. It meant that his fate could still be changed.

"Hello Naruto. Sasuke." Haku said formerly. Both boys gave the other one a smile and soon they were all running together.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Zabuza was doing his own spying at the moment. He was using his own silent jutsu to sneak to the outside of the Mizukage's office. He could hear the Mizukage and Kisame inside.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kisame and Madara were sat inside the office.

"When you gain the Hokage's trust you'll know exactly when to snatch the boy." Madara stated.

"Why not take the boy now? The Hokage didn't exactly bring enough guards to protect himself or his son." Kisame asked.

"Because everything you hear about the fourth Hokage is true. He can kill a single regiment in a matter of seconds. He's a dangerous foe to face, let alone if his child or his whole family are threatened." Madara replied. Kisame nodded.

"So you want this to be a sneaky operation that doesn't involve the village." Kisame commented. Madara nodded.

"That's exactly what I want. This is our own business and while I don't give a damn what happens to this rat hold of a village, the people here could become good pawns. You never throw away a good pawn before you use it." Madara quipped.

"What about the boy's family? He seems to be well guarded and loved, for a Jinchuriki, so what do I do about the rest of them?" Kisame asked.

"Well I'll leave it to your discretion Kisame. All I care about is that you get the boy. Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze is the jewel in the Jinchuriki crown that we're creating. There are others, but Kyubi is the most powerful of all the tailed demons and the boy carries Kyubi. If we carry on waiting others will come to protect him. That's the idea of you gaining the trust of the Hokage. He may even allow you to look after the child. However I want everything to be perfect. Make sure of everything before you make any moves." Madara quipped. Kisame nodded his understanding.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Zabuza glared to himself. He knew the Mizukage was about to cause a war between Konoha and Kiri and he didn't like it. In the original timeline it took a long time for Zabuza to become disillusioned on travels after his own exile. But he hadn't lost all his beliefs yet as he hadn't been exiled yet. He decided to go back to his own home, to think about everything he'd heard. After all, it wasn't every day you found out that the Hokage's son was a Jinchuriki.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Haku, Sasuke and Naruto were all sat at a Ramen stand.

"I didn't even know there was a Ramen stand here in Kiri." Haku quipped.

"Naruto could probably find a Ramen stand in the middle of a wasteland." Sasuke quipped. Naruto grinned and nodded vigorously, before he carried on eating his Miso Pork Ramen.

"So you both come from Konoha?" Haku asked. Naruto and Sasuke nodded.

"What is it like there?" Haku asked.

"It's beautiful there. We go to a Ninja Academy and when we all graduate we go in to three man squads." Naruto replied.

"We all train hard and we have to listen to our Senseis. But Iruka-Sensei is the best. Sasuke's top of the class though." Naruto added.

"You have a mother and father." Haku commented.

"Yeah. I have a baby sister too. Her name is Tsuki, and I have a cousin, Tenshiko." Naruto said.

"I have an older brother, Itachi, my mother, and my baby sister Hikaru." Sasuke added.

"Are they here with you?" Haku asked. Naruto nodded.

"Of course! Sasuke and I are best friends. Our Moms are best friends too! Itachi and Tenshiko are on the same Genin squad, and they're best friends too. Hana is their third member and Anko-San is their Sensei. They came as our escort." Naruto replied. He sounded more like a child when he was cheerful and telling others about things. Haku watched the two boys as they spoke to him. He could tell they were close. Sometimes Naruto would say something and Haku would have no idea what he was talking about, but Sasuke would understand perfectly. Then Sasuke would say something that Naruto would find funny, but Haku didn't understand the joke. He wondered if that was what it was like to have a best friend, or even a brother. He would have plenty of information to give Zabuza at the end of the day.

xXxXxXx THAT NIGHT xXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke were sat with their mothers. Tsuki and Hikaru were in a playpen that had been provided. Tsuki crawled all the way around the playpen, and then from one end of the play pen to the other. Hikaru did not seem impressed. Tsuki did her usual keening whine again, and Hikaru looked at Tsuki, who once again showed Hikaru her crawling skills. Hikaru gurgled and Tsuki gurgled back, before both girls started crawling around the playpen together. After a while both babies laid down on the soft cushion in the playpen and went to sleep. Both of them were curled up together. Tsuki seemed to have hold of Hikaru's hand.

Naruto and Sasuke blinked at the activities of their baby sisters. They could see their mother's squealing over the cuteness, and then the two women went back to conversing. This was when Naruto decided to put his plan in to action.

"Mom, can me and Sasuke go and play with our new friend?" Naruto asked. Kushina blinked at the two boys.

"Only if Itachi, Tenshiko and Hana go with you." Mikoto replied. Kushina nodded her ascent to this reply, and then both women were chattering away again.

Naruto and Sasuke went to find Itachi, Hana and Tenshiko, who were all sat outside the building they were staying in. Anko was lecturing them about basics and other things that Naruto and Sasuke didn't catch. As soon as the trio saw the two younger boys they looked relieved.

"This almost makes me want to disobey our Moms, just to watch the joy fade from their eyes." Naruto quipped. Sasuke grinned.

"You sure do have an evil mind sometimes Dobe." Sasuke quipped back. Both boys laughed as they walked over to the group.

"Anko-San! We need Itachi, Tenshiko and Hana please!" Naruto said. He knew exactly how to make himself look cute. Anko pouted.

"What exactly do you need them for?" Anko asked.

"Our Moms said that we need to take them with us if we wanna go and see our new friend." Naruto stated. Anko sighed. She happened to think that Naruto and Sasuke were very sweet.

"Okay take them. You three better look after them!" Anko yelled at her team. The trio all nodded, grabbed hold of Sasuke and Naruto and ran off. Hana's two dogs ran off behind them.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

After Haku had explained everything he had learned to Zabuza, Zabuza had a feeling of foreboding. That was when a knock came at the door. Zabuza got up from where he was sitting and went to answer it. He found a group of children outside. The two at the front were Naruto and Sasuke.

"What do you two gakis want?" Zabuza asked.

"Can we come and visit Haku please Zabuza-San?" Sasuke and Naruto asked together. Both of them made their eyes look big and watery, and Zabuza stared blankly.

"Fine. Haku, your gaki friends are here." Zabuza called. Naruto and Sasuke ran past Zabuza, while Itachi, Tenshiko and Hana waited sheepishly.

"You're their little bodyguards I take it?" Zabuza asked. The trio nodded. Zabuza stepped aside. He didn't really see any of these children as a threat. The only way they would attack was if they felt they (or their two charges) were threatened. The trio went inside after Sasuke and Naruto, and Zabuza closed the door.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Later on that evening, Zabuza watched as the trio of boys played. Sometimes, Naruto would go up to the red haired girl, who Zabuza learned was called Tenshiko, and ask her something. Sometimes Sasuke would go up to the older boy, who he learned was called Itachi, and he would ask Itachi things and call him 'Aniki'. Zabuza could see how happy Haku was. It was like he had found kindred spirits and Zabuza couldn't help but feel a sort of joy in his heart when he saw Haku smile so happily.

Zabuza had intended Haku to be a tool when he took the boy in. It hadn't even been a year and already he found that he was rather attached to the child. The laws of Mist forbid him from adopting the boy however. But no one was concerned about Haku staying with him. After all, Haku was one of many orphans. Zabuza didn't show it, but he really cared about Haku. He didn't have a child of his own, and he wasn't sure that he ever would. However, Haku seemed to make up for that fact.

He felt someone tug on his pant leg and looked down at Naruto.

"You're really cool! Maybe you can come to Konoha with us!" Naruto exclaimed. Zabuza couldn't help but smirk at the young child's words.

xXxXxXx TWO DAYS LATER xXxXxXx

Minato and Kushina were sat talking about the idea of a ninja from Kiri coming to Konoha. That was when Naruto and Sasuke appeared from nowhere.

"Hey if you have to bring a Ninja from here back home, can't Zabuza-San come?" Naruto asked.

"Zabuza-San?" Kushina asked.

"Yeah, he's Haku's guardian." Sasuke quipped. Minato looked at the two boys.

"What can you tell me about Zabuza-San?" Minato asked the pair. They were only too glad to point out all of Zabuza's good points.

xXxXxXx THE NEXT DAY xXxXxXx

Anko Mitarashi was sat watching over Naruto and Sasuke, who were playing with Haku, when she met Zabuza.

"That your kid?" Anko asked.

"No but I look after him." Zabuza replied.

"Well I look after those two at the moment." Anko stated. Zabuza smirked.

"I look after Haku all the time." Zabuza stated. He wasn't sure why he was telling this woman anything. Of course things happen like that sometimes. Anko smirked.

"I'm Anko Mitarashi." Anko stated. She held out a hand.

"I'm Zabuza Momochi." Zabuza replied as his hand took Anko's own. From where they were playing, Haku, Naruto and Sasuke had all seen the exchange. All three boys smiled at each other.

xXxXxXx THE NEXT DAY xXxXxXx

Minato sat in the Mizukage's office.

"You're saying you don't want Kisame to come to your village?" The Mizukage asked.

"Yes." Minato replied. Kushina was there listening, although the Mizukage had not been happy about it.

"I believe that having one of our Ninja amongst your people would bring a long lasting tie between Kiri and Konoha." The Mizukage stated.

"How about we make a compromise, gentlemen?" Kushina quipped. Both men looked at her quizzically.

"What might that be Kushina-San?" The Mizukage asked.

"Well you believe sending a ninja to Konoha would be beneficial, well it just so happens that my Son and his best friend have become rather attached to a young boy here, and his guardian is a Shinobi. They also seem rather attached to him as well. I'm sure you know him. He's called Zabuza Momochi." Kushina quipped. The Mizukage gritted his teeth under the mask he wore across his mouth.

"That should be fine. I'll discuss it with Zabuza." The Mizukage stated.

"See all things can be compromised." Kushina said cheerfully.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

After Minato and Kushina left, Madara Uchiha was cursing. He had Kisame called to his office. Kisame sat there and awaited Madara's orders.

"It seems that the Hokage refuses to have you come to Konoha. His wife picked that disobedient rat Zabuza." Madara hissed.

"I can always follow and bide my time Mizukage-Sama." Kisame quipped. Madara nodded.

"Let no one know you are there. You will be classed as a missing nin once you take the boy. But as I said before, you must be extremely careful about when you snatch him. If you do it wrong then not only do we lose the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, you may also be killed, so Akatsuki will lose a member. I will give you a scroll with your Akatsuki partner and any other details that you might need on it. Go and prepare. Tell Zabuza that I wish to see him." Madara quipped. Kisame nodded his understanding and left the room as Madara quietly seethed about his plans having to be changed.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Zabuza was sat talking with Anko, when he took note of Kisame watching them. He looked at Kisame angrily.

"What do you want fish face?" Zabuza hissed.

"The Mizukage wants to see you Momochi." Kisame replied. Zabuza stood up and waited for Kisame to go before he turned to Anko.

"Maybe we'll talk again before you have to go back to Konoha." Zabuza stated gruffly. Anko smirked.

"Yeah maybe." Anko replied. Then Zabuza was gone. Anko went back to watching the three children, who were sat on the grass looking at something in the trees. It seemed that they played together on a daily basis.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Zabuza found himself speechless when the Mizukage told him of the new arrangements.

"You're telling me that you want me to transfer to Konoha as a sign of peace between Konoha and Kiri?" Zabuza asked. The Mizukage glared.

"Yes that's exactly what I'm saying. You can refuse, but I wouldn't suggest it." The Mizukage replied.

"And what about Haku and my apprentice?" Zabuza hissed.

"The brats can go with you. They're your problem, not mine." The Mizukage stated irritably. Zabuza made towards the door.

"Where are you going?" The Mizukage asked.

"To pack. If I'm going to be leaving with my charges then I'd better be prepared." Zabuza stated. Then he was gone and the Mizukage was left to glare at his desk angrily.

Madara could have argued the point with the Hokage. But it would have seemed far too suspicious if Madara had insisted too much. He'd bided his time for nearly a century. Waiting a little longer couldn't hurt.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Haku looked at Zabuza curiously.

"So we're going to go and live in Konoha?" Haku asked. Zabuza nodded.

"What about that boy you were training? Suigetsu-Kun?" Haku asked.

"I'll ask him if he wants to come. But it's up to him." Zabuza replied. Haku nodded.

"Pack your things. We're leaving in two days time." Zabuza stated. Haku nodded and started packing what little he had.

xXxXxXx THAT EVENING xXxXxXx

Zabuza found himself at an abandoned house. He waited for a few moments before a boy with pale blue hair came out.

"Suigetsu?" Zabuza called him. The boy ran over to Zabuza quickly.

"How are things?" Zabuza asked him. The boy pouted.

"They're fine." Suigetsu quipped.

"I've been transferred to Konoha." Zabuza stated bluntly. The boy looked disappointed by the news.

"I'm going to ask you once. Do you want to come along with me and Haku? It would mean that you would obviously stay with me and train with Haku. You would also have to attend the ninja academy as a student. But you are free to come along." Zabuza added. Suigetsu used his canine to bite his lip as he concentrated on what Zabuza had told him. Then he nodded.

"Since my brother died the landlord's got meaner. I think it's time for a new start. Besides there's a guy that keeps poking around, stalking me and creeping me out. I don't want to be here the next time he comes back." Suigetsu said. Zabuza smirked, and then clapped the boy on the shoulder.

"Pack your things and let's go. We're leaving in two days time." Zabuza stated. Suigetsu ran in to the house, and within two hours, Suigetsu returned with a pack and a large, locked box.

"What's in the box Gaki?" Zabuza asked.

"Things that belonged to my parents. You musta had parents once Zabuza-Senpai." Suigetsu quipped. Zabuza shrugged.

"That was a long time ago Gaki. Are you sure you have everything?" Zabuza asked.

"Everything that's worth taking with me." Suigetsu replied. Zabuza walked with the boy until he caught sight of Anko, sitting on a bench next to a lake.

"You know where my place is Gaki. Haku will let you in. I'll catch up." Zabuza stated. Suigetsu nodded and ran off. There were no questions asked or needed.

"Anko?" Zabuza called. The female turned her head and smirked when she saw Zabuza. For some reason Zabuza had a feeling that was her idea of a smile.

"I don't know if your Hokage told you but-" Zabuza was cut off by Anko.

"Of course he told me. So you're moving to Konoha then? With a kid?" Anko asked.

"Two kids." Zabuza replied.

"Where'd the other one come from?" Anko asked.

"I'm training him. I was training him before the death of his parents. His brother died a few months ago. He hasn't got anything left here. I might as well give him the chance to finish his training." Zabuza replied gruffly. That was when Anko smiled. Zabuza was surprised by how pretty Anko looked when she actually smiled rather than smirked. He decided that he'd try to make her smile more often. Even though he wasn't really sure what had made her smile about his comment at any rate.

xXxXxXx TWO DAYS LATER xXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke were surprised by the appearance of Suigetsu. But they soon dealt with it. After all, Sasuke had told Naruto that Zabuza, had been Suigetsu's Sensei before his exile. The two boys were also surprised by how close Anko seemed to be to Zabuza. Of course that was something they had started to suspect from the moment the pair met. Both Naruto and Sasuke had a feeling that the two loners might just get together. It would be interesting to see what kind of lifestyle the pair would live.

For some reason, Naruto and Sasuke couldn't wait to get back to Konoha. After all, they could resume their own training regime there, and even though neither one of them would admit it out loud, they missed the regular hubbub of ordinary life. So they started getting to know Suigetsu and Haku on their journey, hoping to make time go faster as they walked, and they watched over their little sisters, who they carried this time. Apart from that their journey back to Konoha was uneventful.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

As they walked back to Konoha, none of the group seemed to notice they were being followed. Kisame was methodical in his orders and knew how to avoid detection. But whether or not he would succeed in his mission or not was something yet to be seen.

At that moment, someone appeared behind him, but Kisame wasn't startled.

"Orochimaru?" Kisame greeted.

"Kisame?" Orochimaru greeted back. Orochimaru had been assigned as Kisame's partner, knowing Konoha well was an advantage. According to Kisame, his success rate just escalated twenty five percent.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay all that's the end of this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please R&R and let me know what you think. I'd greatly appreciate it. I'll see you all next time I update people.


	11. Best Laid Plans

Okay all, here's the next chapter of Another Chance. Thanks loads to everyone who reviewed and added me to their faves and alert lists.

Just a small note for my dear readers. I've placed a poll on my profile page along with some summaries of fics that I'm working on in my spare time (when I'm not working on the ones that are already up) I would love your opinions everyone. Vote for the fic you most want to see up next. Thanks for your time everyone, and now on with the chapter.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Eleven – Best Laid Plans.

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It had been a year since Naruto and Sasuke had managed to get Zabuza, Haku and Suigetsu to become a part of their village. Now Naruto and Sasuke were both nine. Tsuki and Hikaru had celebrated their first birthday without a hitch, and Naruto was on the way to visit Sasuke's home with Tsuki in his arms. He had heard from Itachi and Tenshiko's conversations (that he eavesdropped on and really shouldn't have eavesdropped on) that Anko and Zabuza were dating. Zabuza used any money he had saved up, from his time in Kiri, to buy a relatively nice house. It had five bedrooms and Haku and Suigetsu lived with him. Konoha law was different to Kiri, so Zabuza was now in the process of adopting both Suigetsu and Haku. Things had been relatively peaceful in Konoha recently and Naruto was beginning to worry. As he took a short cut through the woods towards the Uchiha compound, he felt someone grab hold of him from behind. Before he could even react he felt something prick him in the back of the neck, and Naruto fell into the depths of unconsciousness.

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Kisame and Orochimaru looked at the unconscious child, to the red-haired toddler who was now in Kisame's arms, wailing. Kisame just put the baby on the ground and soon enough the Akatsuki pair, were gone, leaving behind a wailing Tsuki.

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Sasuke was practising his fire jutsus in the garden that afternoon. Hikaru was giggling as she sat and watched her Aniki. Itachi came out with Tenshiko into the garden then.

"Hey Sasuke." Tenshiko said kindly. Sasuke nodded a greeting.

"Where's Naruto?" Tenshiko asked. Both Itachi and Sasuke looked at Tenshiko curiously.

"What do you mean Tenshiko?" Itachi asked.

"He's not here?" Tenshiko asked. Her face showed shock.

"Why would he be here?" Sasuke asked. He was starting to feel nervous.

"I mean he said to my Auntie Kushina that he was coming round to visit you today. He even took Tsuki with him so she could play with Hikaru. He hasn't shown up?" Tenshiko asked again. The two boys looked at each other and then Tenshiko.

"We need to find them." Sasuke said seriously. That was when the trio went into the house, Sasuke grabbing Hikaru, and raised the alarm.

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Tsuki was all alone in the woods. It was very frightening. However she was more frightened that two scary men took her Aniki. All she could do was crawl. She hadn't yet started walking. She had soon started to crawl from the spot she was stuck in. The hard forest floor was hurting her tiny hands but she didn't stop. Tears were falling down her round cheeks, and she wanted to stop. She was getting tired but she couldn't stop. She had to find Mommy or Daddy, or Auntie Mikoto, or Sasuke-Kun, or Itachi-Kun, or Tenshiko-Chan, or especially Hikaru-Chan. If she could find one of them then she would be safe, and maybe she could find a way to tell them that her Aniki was gone.

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Sasuke was running around with Hikaru. He tried all of Naruto's favourite spots first. Ichiraku Ramen, the top of the Hokage Mountain, the academy school yard on the swing, he even tried the library just in case. But there was no sign of Naruto or Tsuki anywhere, but Sasuke had figured that out already. Sasuke knew that Naruto wasn't likely to go somewhere else with Tsuki when he said he was going to Sasuke's home anyway. He went in to the woods, where he knew the shortcut was to the Uchiha compound and he started walking, calling out Naruto's name.

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Tsuki had stopped crawling for a little while. She was very tired indeed and she had to rest. Then she heard someone calling.

"NARUTO!" Tsuki blinked. That was her Aniki's name wasn't it? She crawled towards the shouting and then found a place where she could crawl no more. She was trapped by a tree branch. She started to whine. It was the sound that she often made to get Hikaru's attention. She hoped it would get this person's attention too.

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Sasuke suddenly heard a whine. Hikaru blinked and started wriggling. Sasuke put her down and she started crawling. It was rather frightening how fast Hikaru could crawl and Sasuke walked fast to keep up with his baby sister crawling. That was until he came to a fallen tree branch. Hikaru was trying to lift herself up to stand next to the branch and was gurgling. Sasuke blinked in confusion.

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Tsuki whined as she heard the gurgling of Hikaru. She whined as loudly as her tired body would allow her too. That was when she saw the face of Sasuke-Kun looming over her. She reached up her arms as she cried.

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Sasuke looked at the baby, who was reaching up to him in shock. He reached forward and grabbed hold of Tsuki, plucking her from behind the tree branch that had trapped her from crawling further. Then he picked up Hikaru and headed for his house.

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Minato and Kushina found themselves outside Mikoto's home. Itachi and Tenshiko were also there.

"Did you find anything?" Minato asked. Itachi and Tenshiko both shook their heads. Mikoto also arrived.

"I haven't found him. Where on earth could Naruto be?" Mikoto stated. That was when the group saw Sasuke running towards them. Kushina cried out as she saw a dirty looking Tsuki in Sasuke's arms. Kushina rushed forward and took Tsuki from Sasuke, and held her small daughter close. Kushina examined her hands and knees and found them to be scratched raw and bleeding.

"Where did you find her Sasuke?" Kushina asked.

"She was in the woods. I thought Naruto would come by the shortcut here so I went to look. I couldn't find him. But Tsuki must've been trying to crawl to find somebody. She was crying when I found her." Sasuke replied. Kushina nodded and passed Tsuki to Tenshiko. Then Itachi, Mikoto, Minato and Kushina all headed for the woods.

Sasuke had a terrible feeling of foreboding as Tenshiko led him in to the house. He watched as Tenshiko bathed the two babies and dressed them in clean clothes (after tending to Tsuki's cuts), then Tenshiko put the two babies to sleep. Hikaru and Tsuki curled up together in Hikaru's crib, both looking tired and frightened. Sasuke sighed as he looked down at the two small children curled up together. He left the room and crept down the stairs. It was nightfall now and he hadn't had any news. So he decided to go and find out the news himself.

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Minato was furious. Whilst he had been searching the woods with Kushina, Mikoto and Itachi, Itachi had come across a syringe and some footprints. One set definitely belonged to Naruto. One of the other two sets was listed in the Bingo Book. He'd had them examined and was told that one of the sets belonged to Orochimaru. Minato was shaking with rage, as he was also told the syringe had been full of a sleeping drug, and it had indeed pierced Naruto's skin. The other set of footprints and been discovered to belong to Kisame Hoshigaki. Who was now a missing nin. Both men, according to Jiraiya's spy network, had become a part of Akatsuki. They were a group looking to collect Jinchuriki.

Kushina and Mikoto were sat in Minato's office.

"Where is my baby?" Kushina asked Minato firmly.

"With two very dangerous missing nins." Minato replied. Then someone knocked at the door.

"Come in!" Minato called. Kakashi walked into the room.

"Have your dogs caught Naruto's scent?" Minato asked. Kakashi nodded.

"Yes Hokage-Sama. I thought I'd send my clone here to tell you and lead any other operatives you might wish to send, to catch up with my real self." Kakashi's clone stated. Minato nodded. Another knock sounded at the door and then Sarutobi entered the room.

"I've already called Jiraiya here." Sarutobi stated.

"I am prepared to take over here while you go and find your son Minato." Sarutobi added. Minato nodded. That was when someone jumped in through the window. Minato, Kushina and Sarutobi all recognised the Toad Sannin Jiraiya.

"We should be hurrying." Jiraiya stated.

"Itachi, you go back home and look after Sasuke, Hikaru, Tsuki and Tenshiko. Mikoto you can make the decision to come with us or not. Kushina, I would prefer you to stay, but I know you won't. I've already called on Tsume Inuzuka and Hizashi Hyuga." Minato stated. Sarutobi nodded his understanding. Mikoto looked at Itachi and then at Kushina.

"I will come on this mission. Hokage-Sama." Mikoto stated formerly. Soon Tsume and Hizashi arrived and the group set out, with Kakashi's clone to lead the way. Itachi went home to tell Sasuke the bad news.

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Sasuke had been listening outside the office. He'd used chakra to stick to the ceiling. Most people weren't likely to look up at him. Everyone was busy trying to locate Naruto. That was when Itachi came out of the office.

"Sasuke come down from there. You're not going anywhere but back home and straight to bed." Itachi stated sternly. Sasuke jumped down and glared at his brother.

"I'm not going to just stay here while Naruto's been kidnapped by some freaks." Sasuke stated.

"You have no choice Sasuke. Even I do not have a choice. You cannot go with them. If you did, you'd slow them down. So would I. I'm still too young to go after people like these missing nins. You have to trust Uncle Minato, Auntie Kushina and our Mother to do the best they can to rescue Naruto." Itachi replied. Sasuke wanted to argue. He wanted to tell Itachi that he knew more about Akatsuki then any of the people who were going on the mission. He wanted to tell Itachi that they didn't have time to rest, that Akatsuki would take Naruto and extract Kyubi as soon as they could all gather together. Then Naruto would be dead. Sasuke was shaking as Itachi led him home.

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The group were heading as fast as they could into the forests that surrounded Konoha. Kakashi's clone was leading them nearer and nearer to Suna. Wherever the Akatsuki's hidden base was, it was somewhere near Suna. That didn't surprise Minato in the slightest. After all, why not make a base near another Jinchuriki?

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Naruto found himself within his mind. He was in front of Kyubi, who looked rather peeved.

"Kyubi what's happening? I know someone's snatched me, but I'm more worried about Tsuki. Did they hurt her?" Naruto asked.

"No. It was Kisame and Orochimaru who took you. Kisame decided to leave the child on the ground and they're still running with you. We are passing Suna now." Kyubi stated.

"Suna?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. But that reminds me. I haven't spoken to you for a while, but when I started recalling more about what was happening when I activated the jutsu to bring us back, I sensed the presence of two chakras in the jutsu with us, and of course the Uchiha. I believe others may have come back with us." Kyubi stated.

"So Kyubi, you're telling me that two other people got caught up in your jutsu?" Naruto asked.

"Which people?" Naruto added.

"I do not know boy. Though I sensed the presence of the former Jinchuriki of Shukaku. He still carries the traces and residue of Shukaku's spirit within him. He wasn't difficult to sense." Kyubi stated.

"So Gaara might possibly be one of the people who came back. Do you think he's been back as long as we have?" Naruto asked.

"He was further away from you. Both people were. They may have been dropped here earlier or later then you. It all depends." Kyubi stated. Naruto was confused.

"So Gaara could be all alone right now, waiting for us to help him because he doesn't know what's happened. Or he could just drop straight into the middle of his new life here at any minute?" Naruto asked.

"That's basically it brat." Kyubi replied. Naruto sighed.

"I'm getting a headache, and I'm not even conscious." Naruto stated irritably.

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As the team from Konoha sped through the forests towards Suna, Minato glared fiercely as he listened to Jiraiya's information on Akatsuki.

"They want the Kyubi?" Kushina asked in shock. She was horrified.

"_I barely survived having the Kyubi ripped from me."_ Kushina thought as she recalled that night ten years ago, when Naruto had been born, and Kyubi had attacked the village. She felt a shudder of fear travel through her at the thought of her son suffering as she had suffered. The thought of her son dying was unbearable.

"We're in serious need of a back up team here." Tsume Inuzuka growled irritably.

"That never stopped any of us before Tsume." Hizashi stated formerly.

"I already asked Sarutobi-Sama to arrange a back-up team. I have no idea who he will send, but you're right, we could use back up at the moment." Minato stated.

"Do we have any other back up in the area?" Kakashi asked.

"Zabuza was on a mission in Suna territory. But there's no guarantee that we'll come across him now." Minato replied.

"If you send a message ahead you might be able to reach him at the border." Mikoto stated. The rest of the group agreed with her and while they were still moving, Minato wrote a message and Kakashi summoned a bird to carry it. The bird was gone within moments. The group hoped it would reach Zabuza in time. After all they would need all the help they could get.

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That night, Sasuke waited until he knew everyone was sleeping. He felt guilty as he snuck out of the house, but he couldn't abandon Naruto. He started speeding away as quickly as possible. He knew it wouldn't take long for his brother to notice that something wasn't right, and after that it wouldn't take long for him to realise that Sasuke was gone. But Sasuke knew if he could put enough distance between him and Itachi, then Itachi wouldn't be able to drag him back home before he got to Naruto. He used all the old hidden routes he'd memorised in his timeline, to sneak out of the village and then to sneakily head towards Suna. He knew that was where Akatsuki had their nearest base. He knew that was where they would take Naruto to extract Kyubi. So that was the way he headed.

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Zabuza found himself on the border between Suna and Konoha. He read a message and glared fiercely.

"_I knew that bastard was up to something..."_ Zabuza thought angrily. He turned on his tail and waited for the Hokage's team to arrive. After all, if he rested until they got there. He'd be in better condition to fight Kisame. Of course he could leave the other members to the rest of the team. He knew the Hokage wasn't happy about his son being snatched. Zabuza had hoped that this had been quashed by his appointment to Konoha, over Kisame. Zabuza sighed as he pulled out a small photo from his kunai pouch, where he kept it safe. It was a picture of him with Haku and Suigetsu. When he looked at the picture he thought of how Naruto had helped this to happen. The little blond child had grown on him, and he couldn't help but feel the need to make sure the boy was alright.

That was when he caught sight of a small blur racing ahead. He was surprised to make out that the blur was a running child, and then was even more surprised to note that it was Sasuke, the other member of the 'dynamic duo' that had somehow got him into Konoha. He sped after the boy quickly.

"_The Hokage is not going to be happy about this."_ Zabuza thought to himself as he sped after the child, quickly writing a message for the Hokage, which he sent by messenger bird as he followed Sasuke.

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Sasuke was still going, and he sensed that he was being followed by Zabuza. But he also knew that the others were close behind, and behind them, Itachi was chasing after him. The reason Sasuke had gotten to this point so fast? This was because Sasuke knew every small shortcut, every underground escape route in and out of the great desert of Suna, and he knew all the Akatsuki bases as well as he knew his own hands. The war in his timeline had taught him many things. One was the special entrances and exits that he'd learned from almost every nation. He carried on while he let everyone else follow behind him. He needed to find Naruto, and soon.

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Itachi was furious and worried as he raced after his brother. He hadn't stopped since he'd woken in the middle of the night, to find Sasuke gone from his bed, with just a note.

_I've gone to find Naruto._ That's all it said. Itachi had dressed and informed Tenshiko as quickly as possible before leaving. Tenshiko had sworn to inform Sandaime and Itachi knew she would. After all, the pair were best friends, and as close as most siblings. It was dawn now, and Itachi was over the border of Suna. That was when he saw Sasuke in front of him.

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Naruto woke up in a cell. He wanted to find a way to escape, but the whole room was just stone. There were no windows, and the only light that Naruto had was from a tiny candle in a dish. The door in front of him was a solid piece of metal, that was bolted and it didn't have a window either. Naruto glared at the walls angrily.

"_I have to find a way to get out of here."_ Naruto thought to himself. That was when the door opened, and a man that Naruto recognised came into the room. It was the pseudo leader of Akatsuki, Pein, or Nagato as Naruto now knew, who'd been using the body of his old friend Yahiko. With him was Konan. Naruto looked at the pair incredulously.

"Hi?" He said as the pair stared at him.

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Okay all, that's the end of this chapter. I know I'm horrible and you all want to see what happens next. Hopefully I'll get to update soon as I start University tomorrow. (nods) Anyways, please R&R and let me know what you think. See y'all next time I update.


	12. The Good, The Bad and The Strange

Okay people. Here is the next chapter of Another Chance. I know I left y'all on a cliffhanger, but I hope this chapter will make up for it. (nods) I'm sorry for making everyone wait. University has been a pain. I literally have no time on my hands now, and slowly I've been trying to write updates when I have a spare moment, but... well when you have so little time that you have to read your coursebooks on the train whilst travelling back and forth from your place of learning, you'll know there's no time available to you. If I'm lucky I get to eat before nine at night. (sighs)

Anyways, my poll is still up for those who want to vote for the next fic I put up (when I finish one of the ones I'm doing at the moment LOL!) At the moment, Team Cat-Kakashi and Sasuke-Aniki are tied for first place. Feel free to take a look and see what you might want to read next.

To my anonymous reviewer, Chi-san, thanks loads for the review. I hope this chapter lives up to the others and I hope you enjoy it.

To my nameless anonymous reviewer, I'm glad you liked the last chappie and I'm glad you're looking forward to the rest of the story. Also aren't you the one that reviewed my fic Woah Baby! Too?

To my anonymous reviewer, sincerepeople, that was not constructive criticism, that was a flame. Just because you don't like what characters I use, or my OC (who is not based on me just for reference) does not mean you get to diss about it. I've heard no complaints from other people about my story being boring, in fact a lot of people seem to enjoy it. If you don't like it, don't read it. No one is forcing you to. Having an opinion is great and all that, but not when you just aim it at people negatively and rudely. Oh and just because you don't like my OC doesn't mean that what she may or may not say is useless. It may be crucial to the story for all you know. However, because my character, Kimi, is an OC I don't make her the beginning and end of my plot. As for me writing about Sasuke's parents, that's down to me too. What I choose to write is entirely up to me. What's the catch phrase of this website again? "Unleash the imagination" so how I choose to unleash it is up to me. Thanks for listening to my opinion.

To my anonymous reviewer, heather XD, thanks loads for the review. I'm glad you think the story is awesome so far. I also hope that this chappie lives up to all the others.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Twelve – The Good, The Bad and The Strange.

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Itachi was still racing as fast as he could and finally, he caught up to Sasuke. He was exhausted and he wasn't happy that Sasuke had led him this far. Sasuke glared irritably.

"We're going to have a long talk when we get back to Konoha Sasuke. A very long talk. You, me and Naruto." Itachi stated. Sasuke pouted.

"Don't bother getting irritated Sasuke. Now we have to wait for Hokage-Sama before I can decide what to do with you." Itachi added.

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Naruto looked up at Pein and Konan. But he was extremely unnerved by the way that Pein looked at him. Especially as he was walking around in his original body, rather than his old friend Yahiko's body. Pein, or rather Nagato, gave Naruto a soft smile, as did Konan.

"Okay, you two are kinda creeping me out now." Naruto stated bluntly. Nagato and Konan both laughed.

"Naruto Uzumaki. It's been a long time hasn't it? I can honestly say I was shocked to find myself awake in the past. Thanks to your 'tenant' I was able to change a few things that I always hoped to change." Nagato said kindly. Naruto's eyes went wide.

"How can you possibly remember?" Naruto asked. Nagato grinned.

"Well having the Rinnegan made it easy. Although giving Konan and Yahiko their memories, was harder. However it pushed me to other levels." Nagato replied. That was when Yahiko appeared. He looked at Naruto curiously.

"So this is the kid you told me about right?" Yahiko stated in amusement. "This is him." Nagato replied.

"Wait a sec, if you guys remember everything and all, then why let me get kidnapped?" Naruto asked. He was totally confused.

"Actually, we didn't plan this. We were looking for a way to finish off Madara before any plan like this could happen. But things have changed and not everything is happening the way I remember it." Nagato replied.

"That's because travelling back to the past caused a ripple effect that kind of warped time as we knew it before. At least that's what Kyubi told me." Naruto said. Nagato nodded his understanding.

"Well, if we're going to help you, we'll have to be careful about how we do it." Nagato stated.

"Why can't you guys just come to Konoha? I mean Ero-Sennin is still alive and I bet he'd be glad to see you all." Naruto asked.

"We can't just run to Konoha, Naruto. Think about all the other Jinchuriki that are out there, waiting for Madara to capture them too." Konan told Naruto kindly. Naruto sighed.

"Well how are you guys supposed to let me escape without getting caught? That and you are totally not getting Itachi to join Akatsuki!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Well it wasn't anything to do with me in the first place. Madara forced Itachi to join Akatsuki. This time around, however, he doesn't seem to be the child prodigy he was." Nagato quipped.

"He is a child prodigy he just didn't show off so much about it this time around. He prefers hanging out with my cousin. Which is totally weird when I think about it." Naruto stated seriously. Nagato just smirked at that statement.

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Zabuza found that the Hokage's group had caught up with him. He could see they all looked confused.

"Why didn't you wait at the border as you were ordered?" Minato asked sternly.

"Because I saw Sasuke heading past me and I wanted to catch up to the little brat before he got himself into trouble. There's only one problem with that. He's a lot faster then we give him credit for." Zabuza replied.

"Sasuke's here?" Mikoto asked. Zabuza nodded.

"I don't understand how the kid knew where we were going." Jiraiya stated curiously.

"Sasuke is a lot smarter then he makes out sometimes. So is Naruto." Kushina replied. The rest of the group nodded agreement as they carried on towards the Akatsuki base after Sasuke. All hoping to catch up to him before he was captured by the enemy.

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Pein, Konan and Yahiko, all looked troubled.

"Another Jinchuriki is in our care at the moment. I believe you might know him. Gaara? The Jinchuriki of Shukaku?" Pein stated. Naruto's eyes widened.

"Wait a minute! Gaara's here? Are you guys collecting us before extracting the demons?" Naruto asked.

"It seems that way. There has been a lot of activity over in Kiri lately. Hidan and Kakuzu have been rooting out information." Konan replied.

"There are two Jinchuriki living there. Akatsuki is moving way faster than before." Naruto quipped. Pein, Konan and Yahiko all nodded their agreement.

"So what's going to happen now?" Naruto asked.

"Well, we'll have to find a way for you to escape discreetly. It would be easier if we knew someone was on their way to rescue you." Konan replied. Naruto nodded in agreement.

"I know they left my baby sister behind, at least I hope so, but I don't know if they know I'm missing or who took me. There's no way I can guarantee anyone is coming for me any time soon." Naruto quipped.

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Sasuke wasn't shocked when his mother came towards them looking furious.

"Sasuke! What were you thinking?" Mikoto exclaimed. She was trying not to yell. Then she saw Itachi.

"Oh not you too! I thought you were sensible Itachi." Mikoto stated. Itachi sighed.

"I was only following Sasuke, mother. It wasn't about disobeying orders." Itachi replied blankly.

"Let me guess, my niece is round the corner with the two babies in tow as well." Kushina said. She didn't look pleased.

"Of course not Kushina-San. Tenshiko has forewarned Sandaime Hokage-Sama of what has happened. I'm sure he will take it into consideration when planning for back up." Itachi replied. Kushina seemed less angry after that statement.

"So Sasuke, what do you have to say for yourself?" Mikoto asked.

"Naruto is my best friend. I wasn't going to abandon him." Sasuke replied.

"How do you know where this base is Sasuke?" Minato asked.

"I was just lucky to find it." Sasuke answered.

"I have a feeling there is much more to this then I want to know. However, at the moment, we have to keep going. One of us needs to stay here with Sasuke." Minato quipped.

"I'll make sure he doesn't get into anymore trouble." Itachi replied.

"I'll take Sasuke and Itachi with me. Zabuza is here to make up the numbers if he goes with Minato. If we leave them here they may be spotted. It's a miracle that they haven't been spotted yet as it is." Jiraiya quipped. The group decided to split off to search. Mikoto went with Hizashi, Tsume went with Kushina, and Minato and Zabuza took another direction. Jiraiya gestured to Itachi and Sasuke to go with him.

"You're telling me that you're so strong that you don't need back up?" Sasuke asked sceptically. Jiraiya was one of the legendary Sannin for a reason, but he'd also been killed by Pein in their other timeline.

"There will be back up kid. Let's just hope they're not rookies." Jiraiya said seriously.

"I don't think Sandaime-Sama was thinking along those lines." Itachi tried to reassure. Sasuke didn't say another word as they carried on searching.

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Naruto was being led along the corridor by Nagato. Konan and Yahiko were following behind.

"Do you think that if you see Ero-Sennin that you could bring back his memories too?" Naruto asked Nagato softly.

"That is very possible. I don't know how it works on each person, at least not yet, but I know it seems to work well on those who died in our former timeline. I haven't tried it on a person who was alive when the timeline changed." Nagato replied.

"Why? Do you want me to bring back his memories?" Nagato added before Naruto could say anymore. Naruto nodded.

"There's a lot that I didn't get to ask him. There's so much I didn't get to say. With my parents it's different because I'm living my life with them. I've even got memories of my life before this happened, even though I wasn't living this life then. But with Ero-Sennin I know there were things he wanted to tell me. Plus he could be a big help where Sasuke and me are concerned. Our training is really erratic. Half the time we're not doing what we're supposed to do because we're scared of what people might figure out. Ero-Sennin will be able to help us with all that. I know he will." Naruto said seriously. Nagato gave Naruto a smile and nodded.

"If I get the chance I will do my best to bring Jiraiya's memories back. I can't make promises, but I'll do my best." Nagato said. Naruto grinned at Nagato cheerfully.

"Thanks Nagato." Naruto said.

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Minato and Zabuza were running down corridors. Both of them listening for any sounds, breaking down locked doors and feeling disappointment when the rooms were empty, or didn't have the people they were looking for.

"This is ridiculous. We're not getting anywhere at this rate." Minato snapped.

"Well maybe we should try thinking like they do. They must have somewhere they keep their own special prisoners. It would have to be somewhere secure." He added. He closed his eyes in concentration and thought for a moment.

"We could just get the information from any random person we happen to find and kill them." Zabuza quipped.

"The only guards here are the Akatsuki. They don't need security with their kind of power." Minato replied.

"You've been doing your homework Minato-Kun."

The trio turned to see Orochimaru at their back.

"Where's your fishy friend?" Zabuza asked cheekily.

"I'm right here you brat." The trio looked to see that Kisame flanked them on the other side. There was nowhere to go and nothing to do but fight their way out.

"These are just the kind of odds I like." Zabuza stated cheerfully as he swung his executioner's blade at Kisame's head, and the fight began.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Nagato opened the door to another cell.

"I thought you might want to spend some time with an old friend." Nagato said softly. Naruto was pushed in gently, but he didn't like hearing the turning of the key in the lock. He knew it was for show, but it still gave him a feeling of unease. That was when he noticed a small figure sat in a dark corner of the cell. Naruto saw the person move, and from the small amount of light that came into the cell, Naruto caught a glimpse of red hair. It was obviously Gaara.

"Hey Gaara! What's up?" Naruto asked.

"You obviously recognise me, so you must be the Naruto from my time line." Gaara stated plainly. Naruto nodded.

"Well asking is only one way to find out. Kyubi told me that you might have come back too. He said he sensed you." Naruto said softly.

"I thought I was about to die. I felt my life draining away. A Medic Nin was trying to help me but I don't know who. I didn't even have the strength to open my eyes. However when I went into blackness I woke up in the bedroom I'd always stayed in as a child." Gaara replied.

"That happened to me and Sasuke too." Naruto quipped. Gaara gave Naruto a curious look and then smirked.

"It figures that Sasuke would be here too. How did we end up here in the first place? I thought I might have dreamed everything until..." Gaara trailed off.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked.

"Well until Shukaku spoke to me. He told me exactly what had happened. He was... frustrated to be stuck back in my body. However he says it's a lot better than being stuck in Akatsuki's big statue." Gaara replied. Naruto grinned.

"Yeah that sounds right. Is he causing you trouble? Can you sleep?" Naruto asked Gaara.

"You didn't answer my question." Gaara replied. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Well Sasuke managed to give me a fatal blow while we were fighting. Kyubi didn't want to die so he used some sort of forbidden jutsu and bought me back. Sasuke came back because he was holding on to my body." Naruto said softly.

"I must have been very close to you. That means that whoever was trying to heal me may have come back with me as well." Gaara said.

"Kyubi said someone else came back. We're not sure who it was." Naruto said.

"Well it could have been any Medic Nin in your village Naruto. It could've been Ino, Hinata, Ten Ten or Sakura. It could've been Tsunade or Shizune. It could even have been that Karin girl. She was trying to help when the village was attacked." Gaara stated.

"Don't you have to bite her to get healed?" Naruto asked.

"Who?" Gaara replied.

"That Karin girl. Don't you have to bite her? At least that's what I learned." Naruto quipped. Gaara nodded.

"Well it wasn't her then. They were trying to heal me the regular way." Gaara stated. Naruto nodded his agreement.

"I suppose a Medic Nin narrows it down quite a lot. But still it'll be strange trying to work out who it was." Naruto said.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Naruto added.

"I got captured when someone was trying to assassinate me. It has a touch of Irony when I think about it." Gaara answered. Naruto blinked in surprise.

"Your father is still trying to assassinate you?" Naruto asked. Gaara nodded.

"I don't think he can handle the fact that sealing Shukaku inside of me didn't work in his favour." Gaara said.

"I thought things might've changed for you too." Naruto mused.

"Oh, they did change. I can have actual conversations with Temari and Kankuro now. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the Fourth Hokage was alive." Gaara stated mischievously.

"Yeah. Kyubi said that some things had warped because we travelled back in time. Apparently my parents being alive, is a consequence of that. There were other things too. I have a cousin. Her name's Tenshiko. Because of her, Itachi never joined Anbu and graduated with the rest of his class. He didn't want to leave his best friend behind." Naruto told Gaara. Gaara smirked.

"So the Uchiha Massacre never took place. Or rather, Itachi wasn't the one to commit the massacre." Gaara replied. Naruto nodded.

"They planned a coup and my father tried to stop it. Itachi... Itachi ended up having to kill his own father. He was really traumatised about it for a while. I don't think he's ever completely recovered from it." Naruto commented. Gaara remained silent, remembering how he'd had to kill his own uncle in their original timeline. Sometimes, horrible things just couldn't be avoided.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiraiya, Itachi and Sasuke were walking along. Jiraiya heard something from a distance.

"I think that's footsteps." Sasuke whispered. He felt nervous and he let it show. After all, that was what Jiraiya expected.

"Jiraya-Sensei. It's good to see you again." The trio turned to look at another trio. Jiraiya recognised them. His old students, Nagato, Yahiko and Konan.

"What are you three doing here?" Jiraiya asked softly.

"I'm sure you'll find out once you find Naruto." Nagato stated. Sasuke clenched his fists angrily.

"What did you do to Naruto?" Sasuke questioned. Itachi and Jiraiya both felt shivers creep up their spines when they heard the tone of Sasuke's voice. It was cold, flat and hard, like Sasuke was already a battle hardened Shinobi. Nagato smirked at Sasuke.

"Nothing you need to worry about." Nagato replied. Before they could ask anything else, Jiraiya sensed something behind him, and felt someone grab hold of his head. It all happened in an instant. He felt a shock of something that seemed white hot go through his brain, then everything went black.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Well everyone. I hope you all enjoyed this chappie. I thought I'd make it extra long for you all. Please R&R and let me know what you think. See you next time I update. (which should hopefully be soon)


	13. A Rescue? Maybe? Possibly?

Okay all, here's the next chapter of Another Chance. I hope you all enjoy it. Please vote on my poll, because at the moment, Team Cat-Kashi and Sasuke-Aniki are in the lead and I would prefer there not to be a tie. LOL! Anywho, I will let people know the results in my poll after I've posted the last chapter of Woah Baby! Which I will be finishing next time I update. After that I will place a new poll up, obviously not putting the winning fic in, and there will be another chance to vote. Of course I'll place the fics in order of when they're going to come out and such, but I'll be putting new ones in a poll. Okay? Well anywho... that was lengthy and I hope you all kept up with that. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and added to their faves and author alerts. It is appreciated.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Thirteen – A Rescue? Maybe? Possibly?

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Jiraiya felt confusion as images assaulted his mind. Images of things that he knew hadn't happened. He saw his old Sensei, discussing Naruto with him. He saw, what could only be, a twelve year old Naruto asking him things.

"_Train me Ero-Sennin!"_

"_I'm gonna be Hokage one day!"_

"_I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"_

"_Ero-Sennin! What's so funny?"_

Jiraiya heard Naruto's twelve year old voice floating through his head and saw images accompanying it. He saw twelve year old Naruto, with shadow clones ringing the bells of a shrine. He saw Naruto again, wrapped up like a mummy in a hospital bed.

"_If not giving up makes me a fool I'll be a fool all my life! If you won't train me I'll come up with new jutsu on my own! I'll get stronger and I'll bring Sasuke back!"_ Naruto's voice said in his mind. Flashes of other images came into his mind. A fight between himself, Tsunade and Orochimaru. He saw Naruto and Shizune, fighting against another Shinobi, a boy with glasses and grey hair. He saw an assault on the village from snakes and ninja of Suna. He saw himself fighting Yahiko, but Yahiko held the Rinnegan. He saw so many flashing images, and then he saw his own death. It was suddenly like a barrier had been broken down in his mind. The images merged and filled out a whole other lifetime that Jiraiya knew instinctively that he'd lived. A whole world, a whole different memory span. It was almost like a locked drawer in his brain had been opened and he now had access to all the information that had been locked away.

That was when it stopped. Jiraiya blinked as he looked around and he saw it was Nagato behind him. Nagato who had instigated this jutsu. Itachi looked confused as he took a defensive stance. Sasuke also looked confused.

"Alright Itachi, calm down. Sasuke, you Naruto and I are going to have a long conversation when we get back to Konoha." Jiraiya stated. Sasuke blinked in confusion. Jiraiya looked at Nagato.

"So Nagato. Would you like to tell me where Naruto is now?" Jiraiya asked. Nagato nodded gently.

"However, Sensei, you will have to knock us all out. We can't afford to leave Akatsuki quite yet, as I'm sure you've realised." Nagato stated.

"What the hell was that jutsu he used on you?" Itachi asked.

"It's alright Itachi. We're going to get Naruto and take him back to the village. Hopefully after we knock out these three we'll get out of here without too many problems." Jiraiya said. Itachi looked confused. That was when Nagato grabbed hold of Itachi's head, like he'd done Jiraiya's.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina was not happy in the slightest. She and Tsume had been searching this base for a while, and the longer they looked the more agitated Kushina got. Tsume sighed, then her eyes narrowed as she heard something.

"Kushina, I hear something." Tsume said softly. Kushina stayed silent, so that Tsume could hear more clearly.

"There's a fight going on about two hundred yards north." Tsume whispered.

"Well is it any of ours?" Kushina asked.

"Yes. Zabuza and Minato against someone that smells suspiciously like fish and Orochimaru. I'd recognise the smell of that snake anywhere." Tsume replied.

"Minato is strong and so is Zabuza. Unless they call for back up through our radios we have to avoid the fight. Our objective is finding Naruto." Kushina said coldly. Inside she was burning to go and help Minato. She wanted to find Naruto quickly and make sure that she didn't lose her husband or her son. But she knew her duty as a Kunoichi of Konoha. Tsume nodded her understanding and the pair found a way to get around the fight as they carried on searching.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Zabuza was against Kisame, while Minato was against Orochimaru. Minato was too fast really for Orochimaru, and Kisame knew he couldn't beat the fourth Hokage himself either. They had hoped that with him being the Hokage that he'd have had to stay in Konoha. That was when Minato, Zabuza and Kisame saw Orochimaru regurgitate his favourite weapon.

"That is... that's just..." Minato didn't have the words.

"That's disgusting! What the hell?" Zabuza cursed loudly.

"What he said." Minato quipped.

"You don't see this all the time." Kisame stated.

"I think this is the first time I've ever felt pity towards an opponent before." Zabuza said. Kisame nodded.

"This doesn't mean our fight is over brat." Kisame gritted out.

"Of course not fish face, it's just beginning. I'm gonna turn you into sushi." Zabuza replied.

Minato glared at Orochimaru, as he stopped Orochimaru's sword from cutting through him, by blocking it with one of his special kunai.

"So Orochimaru, what makes you think that we wouldn't track you down after you took my son?" Minato hissed.

"We don't really care about whether or not you track us down. It just gives us the chance to study you Minato-Kun." Orochimaru replied. The sword still sticking out of his mouth. Although, in all technicalities, the fourth Hokage was not supposed to come to the rescue of his son. They had expected that he wouldn't be able to join the search party for one simple reason. He was the Hokage. The Hokage is supposed to stay in Konoha and make sure that everything stays safe there. However, Orochimaru had not figured upon Sarutobi taking the reins until Minato could find his son. This was his major mistake.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi gasped as he was released. Sasuke stared up at Itachi, wondering what had happened to him. However, Itachi looked even more confused than Jiraiya had, teenager Itachi was swaying on his feet with al of adult Itachi's memories swirling and taking root in his brain. Jiraiya held the teen up. Sasuke looked at Nagato.

"I thought it better for him to see his old memories also. He'll be fine once he can put everything in order mentally." Nagato stated. Jiraiya nodded.

"I however am not in any condition to fight. You'll have to knock us out once we lead you to Naruto's cell. He is with the Jinchuriki of Suna." Nagato told them. His voice was soft, and he looked exhausted. Jiraiya nodded and allowed his three former students to lead them to where they hoped they would find Naruto.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Hey Gaara. Are we closer to Suna or Konoha from here?" Naruto asked.

"Konoha." Gaara replied.

"Well maybe you can come back to Konoha with us and your father can come and pick you up or something." Naruto said.

"I would like that." Gaara said neutrally. Naruto grinned. That was when they heard the key turn in the lock. Both boys waited for what or whoever was going to come through the door.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina and Tsume ran into Mikoto and Hizashi.

"What the hell is going on?" Tsume said out loud.

"This place is built in a circle rather than the regular way. Everything is joined together. No doors, no rooms, just endless passages and chambers." Hizashi replied.

"What does that mean?" Kushina asked.

"It means that the way this place is designed, is confusing Hizashi's Byakugan. That's why we're having trouble getting around this place." Mikoto replied.

"That and the walls are fuelled with traces of chakra, a lot of different chakra. I'd say there are at least ten different types of chakra running through the walls. It's making it hard to pin down any one person." Hizashi added.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto was wide-eyed as Jiraiya came into the room with Nagato, Konan, Yahiko and Sasuke. He was holding up Itachi. Sasuke grabbed hold of Naruto and hugged tightly. Naruto hugged tightly back. Gaara cocked his head to the side.

"Well Jiraiya-Sensei, you should definitely knock us all out now." Nagato stated. Naruto and Sasuke looked at the trio.

"What happened to Itachi, Nagato?" Naruto asked.

"Unfortunately I had to give him his memories, along with giving Jiraiya-Sensei his memories as you asked." Nagato replied.

"Oh crap!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Wait a second. You asked Nagato to restore my past memories?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah I kinda missed you Ero-Sennin." Naruto replied. Jiraiya sighed. Itachi still looked confused and swayed on his feet.

"We'll be having a long conversation when we get back to the village Naruto." Jiraiya said firmly. Naruto shrugged.

"We need to take Gaara with us." Naruto stated firmly.

"We're closer to Konoha than to Suna. It's better if we do that." Naruto added. Jiraiya sighed.

"I also have past memories Jiraiya-Sama." Gaara quipped. Jiraiya sighed again.

"Okay we're bringing Gaara with us too. Anything else?" Jiraiya asked sadly. The others all shook their heads.

"Then let's go." Jiraiya said.

"Just to let you know. We're the only ones here apart from Orochimaru and Kisame. The others are supposed to meet up here in a few days." Konan told Jiraiya bluntly.

"Well I'm sorry I have to knock you all out. It doesn't feel right." Jiraiya told them.

"We understand Jiraiya-Sensei." Yahiko consoled.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kushina, Mikoto, Tsume and Hizashi were all doing their best to find their way around. That was when they came across Jiraiya. Itachi seemed a little unsteady on his feet, but apart from that he was unharmed. Kushina almost cried with relief when she saw Naruto standing next to Sasuke. Kushina didn't even realise that she had called out her son's name. She ran up to him and swooped her firstborn child into her arms.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

After Jiraiya had knocked out his three former students, the group made their way out of the cell and into the corridors.

"Naruto!" Naruto looked to see his mother. He gave her a wide grin, as she leapt forward and picked him up, hugging him tightly. Naruto couldn't help feeling all warm and fluttery when his mother hugged him.

"I was so worried! Are you alright Naruto? Did they hurt you?" Kushina rained down questions upon her son, and Naruto just blinked until Kushina finished.

"I'm alright Mom. Ero-Sennin came and got me, and knocked out the bad guys." Naruto said cheerfully. Kushina put Naruto down and looked at Gaara carefully.

"This is Gaara, Mom. He's... he's like me." Naruto put it in the most simple way he could. Kushina seemed to understand immediately.

"Well let's get going. Minato and Zabuza are fighting against Orochimaru and someone else." Kushina told Jiraiya.

"It's probably that fish dude Kisame that we met in the hidden Mist village. It was them to that bought me here." Naruto said softly.

"We'd better go and find out what's happening with Minato and Zabuza. Our objective has been completed, now we all need to get out of here and back to Konoha safe and sound." Jiraiya commented. The others nodded and headed towards the fight.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Minato and Zabuza weren't having too much trouble. But it was better to keep their opponents busy. After all, the objective was finding Naruto. If they kept Kisame and Orochimaru busy then there was every chance that one of the others would find Naruto. Of course, that was when the rest of the group arrived.

"Minato, Zabuza, it's time to go!" Kushina yelled. Orochimaru and Kisame didn't look happy.

"You think that our fellow members will just let you leave?" Kisame questioned.

"You mean the only other three people in this base right?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well I already dealt with them so you're on your own." Jiraiya added. Kisame and Orochimaru looked at each other, and then at the rest of the group. Then they were gone. No sane person wanted to fight a whole group of Shinobi, when the fourth Hokage, Jiraiya one of the legendary Sannin, a Hyuga, an Uchiha and several other skilled fighters, were part of the group. It would be committing suicide. So they fled. No shame in that. Right?

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

As the group headed back towards Konoha, they came across another group. Shibi Aburame, Hiashi Hyuga, Inoichi Yamanaka, Chouza Akimichi and Shikaku Nara all stared incredulously.

"Have you already completed the mission?" Shikaku asked. Kushina grinned widely.

"Dattebane! Of course we completed it! Wouldn't want you getting your hands dirty ttebane!" Kushina replied.

"Honey, you're doing it again." Minato quipped. Kushina shrugged.

"I'll stop by tomorrow." Kushina replied. The group started heading home.

"What was she doing?" Gaara asked Naruto and Sasuke quietly. Sasuke looked slightly confused himself.

"Well she always says Dattebane when she gets nervous. So she's trying to stop. She has mostly. But every so often..." Naruto trailed off.

"Kind of like how you always used to say Dattebayo." Sasuke commented. Naruto shrugged. Gaara nodded his understanding and they carried on back to Konoha, saying no more on the subject.

xXxXxXx THREE DAYS LATER xXxXxXx

Naruto was not happy. They'd gotten back to Konoha, and immediately, Gaara had been taken to the interrogation squad. Danzo had been filling the council's ears with rubbish about how Gaara could've been a plant to get more information for Akatsuki or even for Suna. Today Naruto was walking around with Tsuki. He was taking the long way to Sasuke's house. After all, the last time he went through the shortcut in the woods, he'd been abducted. He glared slightly as he looked at the woods. That was when an arm of sand wrapped around Naruto and pulled him up into a tree. Naruto grinned happily at Gaara.

"So they let you go?" Naruto asked.

"Of course. Jiraiya made sure that nothing happened to me. You father was most displeased at the idea of them using truth serum on me." Gaara stated. Naruto grinned.

"Well we _are_ kids." Naruto quipped.

"This is your sister?" Gaara asked, as he looked at Tsuki.

"Yeah. You wanna hold her?" Naruto asked. Gaara looked a little confused.

"That's... okay?" Gaara asked. Naruto nodded. He passed Tsuki to Gaara. Gaara found it strange holding on to a little girl. She reached up a hand and touched Gaara's love kanji tattoo. Then she giggled and smiled. Gaara couldn't help smiling back.

"I never had younger siblings." Gaara stated softly.

"Neither did I the first time around. It's weird how they make you feel." Naruto said. Gaara nodded his agreement.

"Let's go and find Sasuke. Then we can talk about the changes that happened here. You can tell us about any changes that happened in your village too." Naruto stated. Gaara nodded, and within moments the pair were gone.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Itachi was very confused. He watched his mother changing Hikaru's diaper and felt Sasuke sit down next to him.

"You know Itachi... things are different now. We're a family right?" Sasuke asked gently. Itachi looked at his baby brother. From his memories of their past timeline, Itachi knew that Sasuke was the only one he had ever cared for at any time. Now he had a mother and a baby sister to care for. He had a best friend, two best friends really. Naruto was like his brother now and their families were joined together in ways that seemed to transcend even blood links.

"I'm not going to leave you Sasuke. That doesn't mean that you don't need to carry on training." Itachi stated. Sasuke smiled at Itachi.

"I just didn't... I didn't want you to start hating me. I don't think I could handle all of that again." Sasuke told his brother honestly.

"I have never and will never hate you Sasuke. It doesn't matter what time or place of life, I will always be your older brother and I will always protect you. You don't need to be afraid of how I'm going to react Sasuke." Itachi told Sasuke firmly. Sasuke couldn't help still feeling a little bit of worry creep on him.

"But can you ever forgive me?" Sasuke whispered.

"Forgive you? What for?" Itachi asked.

"I was the one who killed you in the end." Sasuke whispered. Itachi pulled Sasuke closer to him with one arm and hugged his younger brother tightly.

"I was the one who groomed you for that job Sasuke. If anyone should be asking for forgiveness it should be me." Itachi replied. Sasuke hugged closer to Itachi. If one thing never changed it would be that Sasuke would always want his brother's time and attention.

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Okay all, that's the end of this chapter. I was going to go on, but then I'd be blocked for what I was going to write next chapter. I hope you all like this at any rate. Please R&R and let me know what you thought. LOL! Bye until next chapter people.


	14. Explanation Time!

Okay here is the next chapter of Another Chance. There is also another poll on my profile now, because the old one has been closed. The order in which the fics on the first poll will come out, has been placed in my profile. So please feel free to vote on my new poll (which will basically be set out the same as the old poll)

To my anonymous reviewer, heather XD, thanks loads for reviewing. I'm glad that you like that fact that Nagato has his past memories. I hope that you enjoy this chapter too.

Also a big thank you to everyone who read and reviewed and added me to their faves and alert lists. I really appreciate it. On with the next chapter.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Fourteen – Explanation Time!

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Naruto and Gaara were heading towards the Uchiha estate, when they were stopped. Jiraiya was standing there looking at them.

"I think it's time we talked." Jiraiya stated firmly. Naruto and Gaara nodded their understanding.

"We need to go and get Sasuke and Itachi." Naruto added.

"I've already sent a toad to go and get them." Jiraiya quipped.

"Can you send another toad to tell Sasuke to bring Hikaru along? Tsuki will need someone to play with." Naruto asked. Jiraiya nodded and then started walking. Naruto and Gaara followed on with Tsuki in Naruto's arms.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke was playing with Hikaru when a toad appeared in front of him.

"Jiraiya-Sama requests to see you and Itachi near the waterfall of the Nakano River." The toad told Sasuke. Sasuke blinked and looked for Itachi. He caught sight of his brother coming out of the house.

"Aniki!" Sasuke called. Itachi looked at Sasuke.

"We're being summoned by Jiraiya." Sasuke told him. Itachi nodded. Just then another toad appeared.

"You may bring along Hikaru, as Tsuki is with Naruto." The toad told them. Then both toads disappeared. Sasuke shrugged and picked up Hikaru and the pair left, after Itachi informed their mother that they were leaving.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Hey Ero-Sennin!" Naruto yelled cheerfully.

"Don't call me that Gaki!" Jiraiya yelled back.

"I'm not gonna stop calling you that ever Ero-Sennin. You're gonna have to get used to it." Naruto quipped.

"What is it that you wanted to say exactly?" Jiraiya asked.

"I just wanted to ask you something." Naruto said seriously. Jiraiya looked at Naruto curiously.

"What did you want to ask?" Jiraiya questioned.

"What happened to Tenshiko? She wasn't back in our timeline? What happened to her? Do you know?" Naruto asked. Jiraiya sighed as he searched through his memories and remembered some of the horrible details.

"Tenshiko was extremely smart for a child of her age. She still is, but after your parents were killed, she wanted to protect you. She dedicated every waking moment to your protection. One day, when you were about six months old, someone broke in to your home and attempted to kill you. Tenshiko jumped in the way and was run through by a member of ROOT. The one responsible was never found and Sandaime always regretted that. Her death was something that broke hearts. Itachi and Tenshiko had been friends as children, but because she never made it to the academy he didn't spend as much time with her. She never had the chance to influence him. The changes in this timeline are not subtle." Jiraiya told Naruto. Naruto looked down at the ground sadly. He was still nine years old in this timeline and he'd never really known how much his cousin had done for him.

"Why wasn't I told I had a cousin? Why didn't anyone tell me about my parents? Didn't I have a right to know?" Naruto asked.

"Your father's name was kept a secret to protect you. That's why you were given your mother's maiden name. The reason you didn't know about your mother was because very few people would have recognised you as her child. After all, you don't have the trademark red hair. Your cousin was a secret that Sandaime chose to keep from you." Jiraiya answered.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Having no family is a hard thing. But having a family that you never knew and knowing they were taken away protecting you is a completely different kind of pain. How would you have felt growing up, if you had been told about your cousin? You would've blamed yourself for her death every day. You would never have forgiven yourself. Telling you about Tenshiko would've caused you more pain and suffering then you had already endured." Jiraiya answered. Naruto nodded his understanding.

"So you started the talk without us?" The group turned to look at Sasuke and Itachi. Gaara looked at Hikaru, who stared right back at him silently. Tsuki started wriggling and whining as soon as she saw Hikaru. Gaara looked at Naruto who just gestured for Gaara to put Tsuki down. Gaara placed the toddler on the grass and she crawled halfway towards Hikaru. Then Tsuki started whining again. Hikaru looked at Sasuke indifferently and Sasuke shrugged and put Hikaru on the grass. Hikaru crawled over to Tsuki and the pair started to gurgle at each other as always. They hadn't as yet spoken, but Mikoto, Kushina and Minato were all saying 'mama', 'dada' and various other words, to try and get them to start talking.

"They are very strange children even by normal standards right?" Gaara asked. Naruto grinned.

"Normal is for boring people." Naruto quipped. Gaara shrugged and everyone sat on the grass. Jiraiya stared at the trio of children for a moment, pondering what he wanted to say to them.

"You need to tell me how all of this happened and then I'll need to ask you a few questions. Of course I'll have to put up a silencing jutsu around this clearing just in case of any chance passers who might want to eavesdrop." Jiraiya stated seriously. Naruto and Sasuke nodded their understanding and Jiraiya placed his silencing jutsu over the clearing. Naruto then told Jiraiya the whole story, with Sasuke adding his own snippets here and there, and then they told Jiraiya about the things they had changed and how they had changed them. This took a good two hours, while Jiraiya listened patiently.

"And that's everything." Naruto finished. Sasuke nodded his agreement with Naruto's statement. Jiraiya frowned.

"From what you've told me about how you interact with Kyubi, your chakras have obviously merged and you now have complete control over Kyubi and his chakra, except of course, when you're near death." Jiraiya asked Naruto. Naruto nodded.

"I did learn Sage Mode, but my body is nowhere near strong enough to maintain it yet. Me and Sasuke-" Sasuke cut Naruto off.

"Sasuke and I, Naruto." Sasuke corrected. Naruto glared and swatted at Sasuke.

"_Me and Sasuke_ both have all our old techniques. We know them perfectly and we're trying to build up the chakra reserves to use them. But it's really hard with no one to train us the right way, or with nowhere to practise without every Shinobi in the village coming to find out what the power surge is." Naruto answered Jiraiya. Jiraiya sighed.

"Well while you are both in the academy, you will have to keep yourselves calm. In fact, just do basic chakra control exercises and taijutsu practise. On Saturdays and Sundays I will take you with me to one of my own special training grounds outside of the village to train you up. Itachi will come with us of course." Jiraiya told the boys. Itachi blinked in confusion.

"You'll need the same help Itachi. Keeping control over what you're doing at any one time is going to be difficult in your younger body. Because of my age now, as it stands, I'm very lucky that no one questions my strength or techniques." Jiraiya stated. Then he looked at Itachi.

"Is there anything I need to know Itachi?" Jiraiya asked.

"From what I've been getting from my old memories, I was struck down with some illness when I was sixteen, but there was no one I could ask to tell me what was wrong with me, or how I could cure myself. After all, I was a missing nin." Itachi quipped. Jiraiya nodded.

"It was a year later that Orochimaru attacked during the Chunin exams. Gaara, do you have anything to add to this?" Jiraiya asked. Gaara nodded.

"My father still despises Konoha. I'm hoping that the fact he will have to come and collect me, might make a difference to his views when he sees what a difference there is here then to the training and education regimes in Suna. Maybe he will make a treaty with Konoha and send me here if he thinks you can train me to control myself. After all, as his son, I can be called back to Suna at any time he or I wish. If I can manage it, then Suna will not be involved in any invasion. I can't say the same for Orochimaru. He is a dangerous foe. From what I heard while I was a captive of Akatsuki, Orochimaru has already founded Oto to make new resources. Not just for himself, but for Akatsuki also. I didn't find out much about the other members. Obviously there is Konan, Yahiko and Nagato. There is also Orochimaru and Kisame. But on top of that, Zetsu, Hidan and Kakuzu are also members. Madara is searching out Deidara and Sasori from what I can gather, along with others. I only caught one other name, Raiga of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. They seem to be trying to add extra power to their ranks. It's almost as if Madara..." Gaara trailed off for a moment.

"What Gaara?" Naruto asked.

"It's almost as if Madara remembers things too, but maybe not everything. Maybe there is a flaw to his ultimate Sharingan. I don't know but something isn't right about the situation." Gaara carried on. Jiraiya nodded.

"It could be very possible. We do forget that Madara has power akin to the Rinnegan. It's not as powerful as the Rinnegan obviously, but it's close enough and in some ways even more powerful. Madara has outlasted at least a century." Jiraiya noted aloud. The group nodded.

"I don't know quite what to do, except to prepare you. When it comes right down to it, if there is a way for Gaara to stay here in Konoha, it might be the best idea. I can prepare the four of you in case of any unknown dangers." Jiraiya added.

"Someone else came back with us too Ero-Sennin. Kyubi said he wasn't sure when they'll arrive, or even who they are, but he knows someone else came back with Gaara, Sasuke and me." Naruto told Jiraiya seriously. Jiraiya nodded his understanding.

"Don't worry. We'll figure out who it is. Keep an eye out on those that we know. Do you have any clues?" Jiraiya asked.

"It was a medic nin. They were trying to heal Gaara when it happened. It could've been any of the girl rookies from our year, or Tsunade Baa-Chan, or Shizune Nee-Chan. It could've been anyone who uses medical ninjutsu. Hell for all I know it could've been Kabuto." Naruto quipped.

"It wasn't Kabuto. I'm sure it was a girl." Gaara stated. Jiraiya nodded.

"It's one clue but it does narrow down the pool quite a bit. We'll just have to keep an eye out." Jiraiya said.

"If anyone finds out who it is, you have to tell me straight away, and each other. None of us wants to make any mistakes and reveal things to someone who doesn't have their past memories." Jiraiya added. Naruto, Sasuke and Gaara all nodded. Itachi just gave a 'hn' of acknowledgement.

After their talk, Sasuke went to grab Hikaru and Tsuki, who were sound asleep on the grass near them. Gaara got up and dusted himself off, along with Itachi, and Naruto walked over to Jiraiya and stood in front of him. Jiraiya looked down at Naruto.

"I wanted to ask you something Ero-Sennin. I know there are things you're not supposed to tell me, but I just wanted to know one thing." Naruto said softly.

"What is it Naruto?" Jiraiya questioned.

"I know Anko got the heaven curse seal from Orochimaru. What I want to know is if she can control it or not? I mean she had pretty good control of it in our timeline but I don't know about now." Naruto asked. Jiraiya nodded his understanding and ruffled Naruto's messy blond spikes.

"Anko is just fine. She has perfect and complete control over the curse seal. Your father saw to it personally, along with your mother. Both of them are seal experts if you remember correctly." Jiraiya answered. Naruto nodded and grinned.

"I'm glad. I didn't want Anko to suffer. Especially now that her and Zabuza are together. They're happy, so no one should mess that up. Right?" Naruto questioned. Jiraiya grinned.

"You're absolutely right Naruto." Jiraiya answered. Jiraiya looked at Gaara, who was stood next to Sasuke, staring at the two toddlers.

"Gaara? You're staying with Naruto until your father arrives, which should be in about a week. I hope you all have fun." Jiraiya stated cheerfully. Then he was gone. Naruto grinned at Sasuke and Gaara.

"Come on then. Hey, Sasuke, are you gonna stay at my house too?" Naruto asked. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Hn, whatever Dobe." Sasuke replied. Naruto glared and took both little girls from Sasuke. Then he placed them in Gaara's arms and dived at Sasuke. Sasuke was taken by complete surprise, and was tackled to the ground, and soon both boys were just blurs of blond and black as they started trying to punch each other.

Gaara blinked curiously as he looked at the two girls in his arms. Tsuki and Hikaru looked up at him curiously, and then back at their older brothers, fighting.

"They are weirder then me." Gaara quipped.

"GAARA!" Both Sasuke and Naruto yelled at the red head.

"Gaa-ra!" Tsuki sounded out. Naruto's eyes went wide.

"Gaa-ra!" Hikaru sounded out afterwards.

"Gaara!" The two toddlers said at the same time. Sasuke and Naruto stared wide eyed at their baby sisters.

"Girls are total traitors." Naruto huffed.

"Hn." Sasuke agreed.

"Well at least we can tell our mothers that they know how to say something, and all the sleepless nights they went through with the girls teething early was worth something." Itachi stated. Naruto and Sasuke glared at Itachi.

"Gaara!"

"Gaara!" Tsuki and Hikaru kept saying Gaara's name now. Gaara just blinked in confusion as Sasuke and Naruto carried on bickering and glaring at Itachi.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay all, that's the end of this chapter. Next chapter, Gaara's father, the Kazekage, arrives in Konoha, and other little details. Please R&R and let me know what you think.


	15. Operation: Convince The Kazekage!

Okay all, here is the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, and to those who added me to their faves and alert lists. I really appreciate it.

To my reviewer, ruhiko, thanks loads for reviewing. When I tried to reply to your review, it said that you disabled the Private Messaging feature. So I thought I'd thank you for your review here. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

To my anonymous reviewer, narutofan, thanks so much for all the reviews. I really appreciate it. I hope that this chapter lives up to the awesomeness of the other chapters.

To my reviewer, narutofanhinatafan, who didn't log in for this review, thanks loads for reviewing. I really appreciate it. I'm glad you found the chappie amusing and that you liked it, and I hope that this chappie lives up to the other chappies.

To my anonymous reviewer, Heather XD, thanks loads for reviewing. I thought it would amusing for them Gaara's name first. I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

To my anonymous reviewer, randomKitty, thanks for all the reviews. I really appreciate it. As for the quote you mentioned in one of your earlier reviews, you'll find a bit later in the fic if anything has been affected by their time travelling. But I'm not going to give anything away.

To my anonymous reviewer, AC15, you made an interesting suggestion, although not one that I haven't had before. However, I haven't decided if Tsunade is going to get her memories back or not. I'm glad you like fic so far. I hope that you enjoy this chapter and thanks so much for reviewing.

To my anonymous reviewer, Creampuff, thanks loads for the review. I'm glad you like the fic so far and I hope that you like the update too.

To my anonymous reviewer, Constructive Criticism, thanks for the review and for your constructive criticism.

Thanks to everyone who added me to their faves and author alerts. I appreciate it that you all seem to like my fic so much. I hope everyone enjoys the update.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Fifteen – Operation: Convince The Kazekage!

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

One week later, Naruto and Sasuke were up early that morning. Gaara did not sleep, but that wasn't unusual. The trio sat in Naruto's bedroom, considering how they could convince the Kazekage to allow Gaara to stay in Konoha. Mostly it was last minute planning now. Gaara had already decided to allow his father to see what a calm attitude he had in Konoha. Naruto and Sasuke would appear to drag Gaara off somewhere to 'play' and let the Kazekage follow them. He'd see them doing what normal children do and maybe feel some kind of emotions for his youngest child. Of course they weren't quite sure how everything would work out, but the trio were hopeful.

xXxXxXx HOKAGE TOWER – MIDDAY xXxXxXx

Minato sat behind his desk and carried on with his paperwork. The Kazekage was due to arrive at any moment, but Minato wasn't quite sure how the man would react. After all, Sun and Konoha had been at war plenty of times since the great Ninja villages were founded. Of course, there was supposed to be peace. However no one knew how the mind of the Kazekage worked. Minato could only hope that the Kazekage bought a peace minded advisor along with him.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto, Sasuke and Gaara snuck towards the Hokage's office. They wanted to hear what was being said and maybe change their own plans to suit the reactions of the Kazekage. The trio stuck themselves to the ceiling, holding on with chakra, and watched as the Kazekage entered the corridor and walked into the Hokage's office. A familiar old woman followed him, along with a young blond man that Naruto and Sasuke didn't recognise.

"That's Chiyo isn't it?" Naruto whispered. Gaara nodded.

"Who's Chiyo?" Sasuke whispered.

"Conversation now, Chiyo explanation later. I don't know the man though." Naruto whispered back.

"He's my uncle, Yashamaru." Gaara whispered back. Both Naruto and Sasuke wanted to ask who Yashamaru was, but refrained. They needed to hear what was being said within the office now.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The Kazekage looked at Minato carefully.

"I should really thank you for saving my son." The Kazekage said formally. Minato gave a kind smile.

"I would hope that if the situations were reversed that you wouldn't leave my son to such a fate." Minato replied.

"Has Gaara been well behaved?" Chiyo asked.

"Yes. He's a good kid. What makes you ask?" Minato asked.

"No temper tantrums or strange moods?" Chiyo asked again.

"No Chiyo-Sama. He's been very good humoured. He plays with my son and his best friend every day. He seems to like holding onto my little daughter. She's just turned one and she seems to like him. In fact I'd say it's been a pleasure having him here." Minato replied. None of the Suna trio said anything for a moment.

"You know that my son is a Jinchuriki I'm sure." The Kazekage said. Minato nodded.

"He's usually prone to sudden mood changes. He's never played with other children before. In fact I didn't know the boy knew how to play." The Kazekage added. The Kazekage had his own thoughts. Ones that were moving to the best interests of his youngest child.

"This is the only time I've ever heard of Gaara actually interacting with others. I'd like to see it for myself." The Kazekage stated. Minato nodded.

"At this time, they're usually near the Nakano River, practising their kunai and shuriken aim." Minato replied. The group stood and Minato made to lead the way.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Gaara, Naruto and Sasuke found themselves poofing to the Nakano River rather quickly.

"We'd better look like we're practising." Naruto said. Sasuke pulled out a set of kunai.

"I bet you didn't remember yours." Sasuke shot out at Naruto. Naruto smirked as he produced his own kunais. Gaara pulled out his kunais as well.

"How are we going to make sure that we look like we've been practising for a while?" Sasuke asked.

"Kage Bunshin. We just have to be quick about it." Naruto stated. Sasuke and Gaara nodded and handed their Kunai over to Naruto. Naruto called upon a great number of Shadow Clones and soon the Shadow Clones were throwing all the Kunai at three separate trees, which were soon littered with kunai scars. Naruto released the jutsu as the trio heard footsteps heading towards them. Now it was time to play act at being innocent children.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

As Minato led the way to the spot by the Nakano River where the trio of boys usually practised, he was aware of the strange tension in the air. It was like the Kazekage couldn't believe that his son was capable of being a normal child. They came upon the scene and the Kazekage seemed completely frozen in shock.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Gaara was smiling as he threw a kunai. It hit it's mark in the middle of the tree he was using for target practise.

"Come on Naruto. You can do a lot better than that." Gaara said cheerfully. Sasuke smirked at the red-head.

"Gaara your aim isn't perfect." Naruto stated. Sasuke let out a snort of laughter. Gaara smirked.

"It's better than your aim Naruto." Gaara shot back, making Sasuke laugh fully. Naruto pouted at his two friends. They all knew they were being watched but pretended they had no idea. Acting like children was a difficult feat for the trio but they carried out their own personal play for their audience. After all, it was necessary for their plan to work. They needed to play on whatever small piece of the Kazekage's heart still cared about his youngest child.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The Kazekage couldn't help being curious.

"What exactly did you do to make him... this calm?" The Kazekage asked.

"We didn't do anything. He's been staying with my family. I don't know what you think we could've done to him. Well apart from treating him like a normal little boy." Minato replied. The Kazekage nodded and walked forward.

"Gaara." The Kazekage called. The trio of boys looked up, surprised at the arrival of the adults.

"Father." Gaara replied as he walked over and stood in front of his father. Then he looked at Chiyo and his uncle.

"Chiyo-Sama. Uncle Yashamaru." Gaara greeted. The other two nodded their greetings.

"Come with me for a moment. I would like to speak with you." The Kazekage told his son. Gaara didn't disobey his father. He walked with him away from the training area. Now Naruto and Sasuke had to allow Gaara to do his part. If anyone could convince the Kazekage to allow Gaara to stay, it would be Gaara.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Gaara sat with his father in the Hokage's office.

"Gaara I want to know what you would think about staying here in Konoha. Purely for the sake of peace." The Kazekage asked. He couldn't help but feel this might be what Gaara's mother would want. For Gaara to have friends to play with.

"Who would I stay with?" Gaara asked.

"If I could arrange it, with your Uncle Yashamaru." The Kazekage replied. Gaara knew that this was going too easily. He had a feeling that he would find out the catch later on. But for now, this was what they all wanted.

"I would like that Father." Gaara replied. The Kazekage nodded and stood up to open the door to the Hokage's office.

"I would like to speak to you privately, Hokage-Sama." The Kazekage said formally.

"Of course Kazekage-Sama." Minato replied.

"Go and find your friends and I will come to see you when this meeting is finished Gaara." The Kazekage told his son. Gaara nodded and left. He didn't make any arguments. Now it was down to the adults to discuss what would happen.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The two Kages looked at each other.

"I've never known my son to be happy as he is here." The Kazekage spoke first.

"I'm glad that he has been happy." Minato replied.

"I would like to ask for my son to stay here. To be trained as a Shinobi in your academy as a sign of peace." The Kazekage added. Minato nodded his understanding.

"I'm assuming you want someone to stay with him as his guardian." Minato asked. The Kazekage nodded.

"His uncle, my wife's brother, Yashamaru. You've met him today." The Kazekage said. Minato nodded.

"Of course I must discuss this with my advisors and I will give you my answer tomorrow morning. But please feel free to bring your party to my home for dinner." Minato said kindly. The Kazekage nodded and left the office.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

That afternoon, Minato went to find Jiraiya. If anyone would give him an honest opinion about the situation, it would be his old Sensei.

"Minato?" Jiraiya called from the clearing where he was meditating. Minato went and sat next to his mentor.

"You want to talk to me about Gaara staying in this village with a guardian." Jiraiya stated.

"Have you been eavesdropping outside my office again?" Minato asked.

"Of course. I wouldn't be the master of information if I didn't." Jiraiya replied.

"What do you think I should do?" Minato asked.

"I think that you should agree. If Gaara is raised within our system, he's not likely to agree with any idea to attack Konoha, now or in the future. Plus there's the idea that he will take what he's learned back to Suna and maybe relations between our two villages will be much better." Jiraiya replied honestly. Minato nodded.

"I thought so. I just... I needed a second opinion." Minato replied.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

That evening, the Kazekage, Yashamaru and Chiyo found themselves at the Hokage's home.

"Are you sure about this Hokage-Sama?" Chiyo asked.

"We must see what kind of environment we will be leaving Gaara in. After all, if Konoha can keep control of him for now, I can call him back to Suna whenever I choose to." The Kazekage replied. As they entered the house, Chiyo caught sight of a silver haired man speaking to the Hokage.

"Konoha's White Fang!" Chiyo exclaimed, then she aimed a drop kick at the man.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke looked confused as Kakashi dodged the old woman's kick.

"Um... you told me who Chiyo was, but why did you not explain that she hated Kakashi?" Sasuke whispered.

"She doesn't. She's angry with his father, who he apparently resembles. This happened the first time Kakashi, Sakura and I met her in our other timeline." Naruto whispered back. The fight seemed to stop as quickly as it started, and the group sat to dinner.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The Kazekage watched as Gaara seemed to be included in any conversation the Hokage's son, and Sasuke Uchiha seemed to be having. It was almost like they spoke a different language sometimes. The Kazekage knew he was making the right decision for his son. At least for the first time in his life, he was thinking about the boy's well being, instead of just the village's weapon.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Two days later, the Kazekage left with Chiyo and Yashamaru ont he journey back to Suna. Yashamaru had promised he would be back as soon as possible with his own things and Gaara's things as well. Gaara seemed happy with this arrangement at any rate. He wouldn't admit it, but he still had an odd attachment to that old teddy bear of his. Soon things would settle down again for the trio of child time travellers.

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Okay all, this was a bit rushed, so forgive me if my spelling is useless or whatever. I usually check over it more thoroughly before I post, but I wanted to post quickly as I haven't posted for a while, and I might not be able to post for another while, as I have a pile of essays due in for University. I hope you all liked this chapter anyways. Please R&R and let me know what you thought. See you next update.


	16. The Next Piece of The Puzzle

Okay all, here is the next chapter. A little longer and such, but still, it's here. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and added me to their faves and alert lists.

To my anonymous reviewer, narutofan, thanks loads for the review. I'm glad you liked the last chappie.

To my anonymous reviewer, randomKitty, thanks loads for reviewing. Everyone seems to like that Gaara is going to be staying in the leaf, at least for now. (nods)

To my anonymous reviewer, peoplthi, thanks for reviewing. The idea of Fugaku Uchiha doing what he did, is precisely because it is wrong. That was the whole point of the planned coup that most didn't agree with. At any rate it didn't work out well. LOL!

I've also been asked about the ages of the characters in this fic. Naruto and Sasuke start out being 7, until chapter 9 when they have their birthdays and become 8. In chapter 11 a year has passed and they're 9. Now, in this chapter, I've skipped a couple of years, and this chapter will end with them being 11 years old. So that makes Itachi and Tenshiko 16, Neji, Ten Ten and Lee 12, and for the sake of reason, I've decided that Gaara, Haku and Suigetsu are also going to be the same age as the rookie 9. So there you go. I hope this explains ages for you. If anyone is still have problems, please feel free to contact me.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Sixteen – The Next Piece of The Puzzle.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke and Naruto spent a lot of time together with Gaara. The trio were practically inseparable. However, their first year together bought more changes to life in Konoha. Gaara lived in an apartment with his Uncle Yashamaru, and Yashamaru was getting close to Sakura's mother. That was a strange idea in itself. Zabuza and Anko had married, and with Suigetsu and Haku, they made an odd, mismatched and happy little family. Hizashi and Mikoto had been dating, and there was talk of marriage.

The next year, bought Anko and Zabuza a baby daughter, that they named Hitomi. Mikoto and Hizashi had married, and Mikoto was now expecting another child. The irritation that Sasuke experienced, whilst living with Neji under the same roof, made Gaara and Naruto laugh on a regular basis. However, Sasuke and Itachi were both thankful to whatever deity existed, that Mikoto tortured Hizashi with her pregnancy hormones, rather than them.

Hikaru and Tsuki were now officially three years old. Of course, the girls were inseparable, just like Sasuke and Naruto. Of course Mikoto was about ready to pop, and Sasuke and Neji had been making bets on whether the baby was going to be a girl or a boy. Which leads us to the moment we're at right now.

"It will be a boy. I shall have a strong brother to teach about Byakugan. It's destiny." Neji stated. He had just finished a Genin mission, and Team Gai were sat with Naruto, Sasuke and Gaara.

"It'll be a girl." Naruto quipped.

"I agree with Naruto. Mother is all emotional like she was when she had Hikaru. It's a girl." Sasuke replied.

"Girl." Gaara put in his two cents. Neji glared at Gaara, but Gaara was immune to the ice glare powers of Neji. Tsuki and Hikaru were sat on Gaara's lap, listening to the conversation.

"I hope that this new sibling of yours is a boy, my youthful rival!" Lee exclaimed. Tsuki hid her face in Gaara's shirt, and so did Hikaru.

"Lee your enthusiasm is scaring the toddlers." Ten Ten quipped. Lee looked completely saddened by that knowledge.

"So what do you think Ten Ten?" Naruto asked. Ten Ten looked at Naruto.

"Sorry Neji but I think Mikoto-San is gonna have a girl." Ten Ten replied.

"I say it's a boy!" The group looked at Kiba, who arrived with Hana. Itachi and Tenshiko followed behind them.

"Girl." Hana, Tenshiko and Itachi replied. The group were interrupted when Kushina came running along.

"What's wrong mom?" Naruto asked. She looked at Sasuke, Neji and Itachi.

"Mikoto is in labour. You can wait at the hospital or at home. You have a choice." Kushina stated. The group all looked at each other.

"Hospital!" They all said at once. Kushina was just confused as they all rushed off past her. Gaara carrying the twins, as Sasuke and Naruto raced Neji to get to the hospital. Kushina just looked around in confusion and sighed. Minato arrived.

"Well did you tell them?" Minato asked.

"Of course I did. For some reason they all went to the hospital. That includes Hana, Ten Ten, Lee Kiba and Gaara." Kushina quipped. Minato shrugged.

"I'm betting on a boy." Minato stated. Kushina glared.

"It's a girl Minato. I'm telling you." Kushina stated.

"How much are you willing to bet?" Minato asked.

"Two full months of housework." Kushina replied.

"Okay, if you're right, I have to do the housework. If I'm right, then you have to do two months of paperwork for me." Minato stated.

"One month of paperwork is equal to two months of housework." Kushina corrected. Minato pouted.

"Fine, one month of paperwork." Minato replied. Kushina grinned.

"You're on Minato!" Kushina exclaimed. The two shook on it and headed to the hospital.

xXxXxXx SEVERAL HOURS LATER xXxXxXx

"It's a girl!" A nurse stated.

"Oh damn!" Minato cursed. Kushina grinned at Minato evilly. Then the two adults looked at the children. Neji was almost so white he could've blended in with the hospital walls. Naruto was grinning, along with Sasuke, Gaara, Hana, Ten Ten, Tenshiko and Itachi. They all held their hands out. Neji pouted (yes Hyuga's know how to pout) and dug into his pocket, handing out money to each of them.

"Wait a second, you all bet on the baby being a girl?" Minato asked them.

"Neji insisted the baby would be a boy so he bet heavily on it." Ten Ten replied. Minato and Kushina sighed.

"_So that's why they decided to come to the hospital."_ They thought. Not that they could scold the children for betting. They'd just made a bet themselves. Oh how proud Tsunade would've been of them if she could see them.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Mikoto and Hizashi had called the baby girl Kaoru. Sasuke was now at Naruto's house, when they saw Kakashi talking with Minato.

"Do you think Kakashi has the Sharingan?" Naruto asked. Sasuke blinked.

"We'll have to wait and see won't we. He still keeps his eye covered." Sasuke replied.

"Along with the rest of his face. I swear I'll see his face if it's the last thing I ever do." Naruto quipped. Sasuke smirked widely.

"Should we follow them?" Naruto asked. Sasuke shrugged.

"We might as well. Jiraiya isn't around to train us today so we might as well make our own amusement." Sasuke replied. Then the pair crept after Minato and Kakashi, hoping to see something interesting. They followed Minato and Kakashi until they were at their old training ground. The two boys watched as Minato and Kakashi stood in front of the memorial stone.

"Kakashi?" Minato said softly. The man looked at his Sensei sadly.

"I know you miss them." Minato said.

"If we had just got there a minute sooner then we might've saved Rin." Kakashi said softly.

"If Obito hadn't knocked me out, it might be my name on that stone. But things happened as they did. That doesn't mean I don't miss them but it means that we have to both go on. It's what they would both want." Minato stated. Kakashi nodded. The two boys looked at each other sadly and left. They wanted to leave Kakashi and Minato alone for the time being. Some things were sacred and both Naruto and Sasuke agreed that the time of mourning those already lost was one thing that was very sacred. They decided it was time to go and spar.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiraiya was sat with Itachi.

"Have you figured out who else might have been bought back, like Naruto, Sasuke and Gaara were?" Itachi asked. Jiraiya shook his head.

"No. But I've been talking to Nagato. When we bring Tsunade back to the village, he's going to come and visit." Jiraiya told Itachi.

"To give Tsunade her memories back?" Itachi asked. Jiraiya nodded.

"We need her to be lucid and aware of what happened before. There are things she would know that we don't. There was a fourth great war, and we have no idea how it started or even a smidgen of the ins and outs of what happened. If we can get hold of Tsunade's information, it would be a good thing." Jiraiya said solemnly.

"That and you miss your closest friend." Itachi added. Jiraiya snorted at the man-in-a-boys-body.

"Well we still have at least two years to try and arrange things before we can go and look for Tsunade." Jiraya said. Itachi nodded his understanding, and then talk turned to training methods.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

After they had finished sparring in the Nakano River, Naruto and Sasuke both glared as they looked around. Someone had managed to steal Sasuke's pendant from where they'd been training and Sasuke was furious. That was when Naruto blinked and held up his own pendant. It pulsed faintly with chakra.

"Someone knows how it works and they want us to find them." Naruto stated.

"Then let's find them so I can kill them." Sasuke stated moodily. They found themselves drawn to their old training ground and there, sat on top of the middle log, was Sakura Haruno. Sasuke and Naruto were wide eyed as Sakura swung the pendant back and forth in a pendulum like fashion.

"I hope I get one Naruto. After all they're kinda useful if you're on a team. Like... team seven for instance." Sakura stated. Sasuke and Naruto stared, open mouthed, at Sakura as she jumped down from her position and gave both boys a look.

"You two have some explaining to do." Sakura stated.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"So when did you find out?" Naruto asked, as the old team seven sat with Jiraiya, Gaara and Itachi.

"I woke up this morning and it was all there. I was so damn confused. It was even weirder when my mother told me she was going on a date with Yashamaru. I didn't even know who Yashamaru was. Then I saw the Fourth Hokage and that was even weirder. I figured that if anyone would know what I was talking about, it would be you two." Sakura stated. Of course, Naruto and Sasuke had to explain everything to Sakura. She listened intently and when they finished their story, she nodded her understanding.

"We need to do some smarter thinking. I suggest that if we're going to bring back anyone's memories at the moment that we bring back Kakashi's. We're going to need him on board if we want him as our Sensei and if we want to change certain things on missions." Sakura stated. Naruto grinned.

"See? Sakura was always the smart one. What do you think Ero-Sennin?" Naruto asked. Jiraiya rolled his eyes.

"I'll see if I can get in touch with Nagato." Jiraiya replied.

xXxXxXx TWO WEEKS LATER xXxXxXx

Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke had waited with anticipation for a while. Apparently, Nagato had agreed to the plan, and they were waiting for a point where there wouldn't be too much notice placed on Kakashi. Naruto had suggested the spring festival as a perfect place. After all, there were so many people, no one was going to notice a cloaked Nagato in the crowd. Now they were waiting to find out if it had gone well or not. Gaara was sat with them.

"I'm sure it will be alright." Gaara told them honestly. They all looked at him and nodded. Gaara looked at Sakura.

"You were trying to save my life when we were thrown back in time." Gaara said softly. Sakura nodded.

"I wanted to help you. I guess it was pure luck that I was near you at the time." Sakura replied.

"Thank you for trying at any rate." Gaara said. Sakura smiled.

"Any time Gaara." Sakura quipped. The group waited for news as the festival started on the streets.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay all, so, this is a bit of a short chapter too, but next chapter you'll get to see if Kakashi gets his memories back or not. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will try and update soon. Although I must apologise, because I think it's a bit messy. I was in a major hurry to write it all out. Anyways, please R&R and tell me what you all thought.


	17. Scroll of Sealing?

Okay all, here's the next chapter of Another Chance. I hope you all enjoy it and such. Also, there were reviews I couldn't reply to because for some reason the review reply links were broken in the reviews I got. So I'm replying here.

**kurokazeryuu**: Thanks so much for the review. I' glad you liked the chapter and I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

**Starcrossedmoon**: Thanks loads for reviewing. Although you always seem to anyways, I still appreciate it. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Kiyomi-Chan7**: Thanks loads for reviewing. I really appreciate it. I'm glad my putting up everyone's ages last chapter was helpful. Hopefully this chapter is not as messy as the last one. LOL! As for the male population of Konoha, you never know what's going to happen. (nods)

**Darkness9825**: Thanks loads for reviewing. I really appreciate it. Also I will check out that fic you suggested, when I get some time to myself. LOL! Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's definitely longer than the last chapter.

**Crystalzap**: Thanks for the review. As for Kakashi? You'll see what's happening with him now. (grins)

**devil M**: Thanks for the review. However, Mikoto is with Hizashi, not Hiashi. (nods) Although this is probably the only fic in which you will ever see that happen.

**narutofan**: I actually haven't thought about whether Kaoru gets Byakugan or Sharingan. I have to consider it carefully before I actually decide. (nods) Thanks for reviewing. I really appreciate it.

**RedRangerBelt**: You are the second person to ask me whether Kaoru will have Byakugan or Sharingan. I have to think about it carefully, because I hadn't actually considered it before. (nods) You'll find out about Tsunade when it's time, as for Kakashi, just read on this chapter. (nods again) Thanks loads for reviewing I really appreciate it.

**ruhiko**: Thanks for the review. Yes, Sakura is on board. You never know when someone else might be on board too.

**narutofanhinatafan**: Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad that you enjoyed last chapter and that my note about the ages was helpful. I hope you like this chapter.

**hartman227**: Thanks for the review. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**FFHelaynia**: Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**()**: For some reason you showed up as being nameless, but thank you for the correction. I probably just didn't notice it when I went over the chapter before posting. I will correct it soon (I hope) and thanks so much for reviewing. I really appreciate it.

**Faia Sakura**: Thanks for reviewing. I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint.

**troutman30**: Thanks for reviewing. When I say anonymous reviewer, it means the reviewers that don't sign in to accounts. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.

**randomKitty**: Thanks loads for reviewing. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**GIRL OF PARADISE**: Thanks loads for the review. Here is the update. I hope you like it.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Another Chance.

Chapter Seventeen – Scroll of Sealing?

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kakashi saw a shadow moving just beyond the tree line. It was early evening now, the sun had set, and the spring festival was in full swing. Kakashi headed towards the trees, he saw Jiraiya appear next to him and gazed at the older Shinobi.

"Did you see him?" Kakashi asked.

"The shadow in the woods? Yeah I saw it. Let's see if we can fix this without having to call out Anbu." Jiraiya replied. They headed towards the trees, and that was when Kakashi felt a blow to the back of his head and everything went black.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Gaara were keeping watch over the proceedings.

"Do you think we're doing the right thing?" Naruto asked. Sasuke, Sakura and Gaara all looked at Naruto wondering how to answer this question. It was a rarity to see Naruto unsure of anything.

"Why do you think we're doing the wrong thing?" Sakura asked.

"Well we're just throwing all of this on Kakashi-Sensei and maybe... well maybe he's happier now." Naruto replied.

"Maybe, but we need him, just like you thought we needed Jiraiya." Sasuke said. Naruto nodded, the confident spark coming back into his eyes.

"Let's just keep watching. We need to make sure no one sneaks up on Nagato, Jiraiya and Kakashi. Itachi is watching out over the festival to make sure no one notices that Kakashi is gone." Sakura said. Gaara nodded his agreement as the group carried on keeping watch.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

When Kakashi came to, he was tied to a tree. He also realised that his headband had been removed. A hooded man stood in front of him.

"I'm sorry about this Kakashi." The hooded man said. His voice seemed sincere.

"What for? Tying me up or something else?" Kakashi asked. Kakashi couldn't see the man's face at all.

"This will hurt a bit. Hopefully not too much. You'll understand later." The hooded man said softly. Then he grabbed both sides of Kakashi's head with his own hands and used his thumb and forefinger to hold open Kakashi's Sharingan eye. Kakashi saw a flash of purple eyes.

"_Rinnegan?"_ Kakashi thought to himself, questionably, as his mind once again went into the blackness.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"I knew it!" Naruto exclaimed quietly.

"Knew what?" Sakura asked.

"We've been debating whether or not Kakashi has the Sharingan in this timeline." Gaara replied.

"Naruto was positive he did." Sasuke added.

"I guess he was right then." Sakura stated. Naruto just grinned. They saw Nagato untie Kakashi and Jiraiya waved the signal for them to come down. Now all they had to do, was wait for Kakashi to wake up.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kakashi felt groggy when he awoke. He blinked his one eye open. He kept his Sharingan eye closed out of sheer habit. He looked up to see four blurry children around him.

"Hey Kakashi-Sensei!" A blond blur exclaimed cheerfully.

"_My head hurts."_ Kakashi thought to himself as his vision cleared. He looked up at Naruto, only for something to click in his mind.

"Naruto? You're a child?" Kakashi asked, sitting up.

"Great observation Kakashi." Kakashi looked at Sasuke, who was also a child. He looked to see child Sakura and child Gaara lounging near him as well. A teenage Itachi stood nearby, as well as Jiraiya, and someone that Kakashi didn't recognise.

"What the hell is going on?" Kakashi asked.

"You might want to get comfortable Kakashi, this could take a while." Jiraiya replied cheerfully enough. Kakashi sighed, resigned to whatever was going to make his head hurt more.

xXxXxXx ONE YEAR LATER xXxXxXx

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Gaara were all ready to graduate, although as soon as Gaara graduated, he was to go back to Suna. But that didn't make much difference, because they would still keep in touch and write to each other, and with the peace between Suna and Konoha, there was unlikely to be a time when the friends were pitted against each other. They weren't likely to allow that at any rate. Also, Yashamaru had decided to retire as a Shinobi and stick around in Konoha. Sakura had to admit that Yashamaru wasn't a bad guy, and he and her mother seemed... close enough. Sakura didn't complain. She couldn't blame her mother for being lonely. She'd been lonely in the other timeline also, but Sakura had never really thought about it like she did now. She chalked it up to her mature attitude to life, and seeing her mother happy. Things were still different, but the trio had determined they would keep their scores the same as before. Today was the day of the exams.

"Naruto you can't fail today." Sakura lectured. Naruto looked slightly sheepish.

"Guys I need to talk to you about that. You see... I have to fail the test today." Naruto replied. Sasuke raised a brow and Sakura looked confused. Gaara didn't seem too interested.

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

"I can't tell you. If I do I might mess things up. It's important that I fail, and it's important that you guys are seen to reject me for it. Not in the playground, near the swings. I'm hoping for someone else to overhear us." Naruto told them firmly.

"Again I ask, why?" Sasuke questioned.

"I'll explain everything just as soon as I can. Something is supposed to happen today. It's something I did in the original timeline, but I have to do it here too. It's very important." Naruto told them. Sasuke didn't like this plan of Naruto's and neither did Sakura. Gaara however nodded.

"We have to trust Naruto. He hasn't led us wrong. Whatever his reasons I trust he'll tell us later." Gaara told the other two. Reluctantly, Sasuke and Sakura nodded their agreement. So a new plan was set in motion.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Mizuki was looking at the class of academy students.

"_I need the most vulnerable student, the loser, the one who fails would be ideal. I need a good pawn, someone who can go undetected."_ Mizuki's train of thought was interrupted when he took note of Iruka standing in front of the students.

"When I call your name, you will come into the next room for the exam." Iruka said. Mizuki walked into the room next door and waited for Iruka to start calling names. He would be there when they failed. Whoever failed would want a chance to pass after all.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto knew that he wouldn't have trouble failing. He still couldn't make a simple bunshin. He knew now why this was of course, but when he was a child in the former timeline, he didn't know anything about his chakra and how it worked. When he was called, he knew that Sakura, Sasuke and Gaara had already been in the room and passed. They had all come back with their forehead protectors. He was the last one to be called. His name was the last in alphabetical order.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Gaara sat with Sasuke and Sakura as Naruto left the room.

"Something just occurred to me." Sasuke said softly.

"Really? You think about things?" Gaara questioned mockingly. Sasuke glared at Gaara as Sakura giggled.

"Naruto failed the test in the original timeline." Sasuke said. Sakura blinked as she realised that Sasuke was right.

"Wait a sec, if Naruto failed then how did he end up on team seven?" Sakura asked.

"It must have something to do with what Naruto is planning." Gaara replied. The trio didn't like to think that Naruto was going through this strange plan alone.

"I really hope he knows what he's doing." Sakura said.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto had just failed the test. Iruka did look sad to have to fail him, and Naruto knew Iruka didn't really want to. Naruto was keeping an eye on Mizuki. He noted the tiniest smirk that spread across Mizuki's lips before he made himself look sympathetic and turned to look at Iruka.

"Iruka-Sensei, we could give him a break. After all, he'd be the only one to fail in the whole class." Mizuki said kindly. Naruto knew they weren't going to mention him failing twice before. After all, Naruto hadn't felt such a need to prove himself and so hadn't tried to graduate early twice. This would be the only failure to go on his record, if it ever did. As Mizuki had spoken, Naruto made himself look hopeful. He knew what Mizuki was looking for this time around, and he was going to make sure he gave it to him.

"Mizuki-Sensei, I can't just go easy on Naruto to make him look good in front of his classmates. All the others produced at least three functioning clones. Naruto produced one, and it's pitiful. I'm sorry Naruto, but you will have the chance to graduate again." Iruka replied. Naruto bit his lip and looked at Iruka sadly.

"My Dad is going to be really disappointed." Naruto said sadly. He left the room without a forehead protector. Just as he planned.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Mizuki watched later, from up in the tree, as Naruto sat on the lone swing. As he saw Naruto sit down, looking dejected, he saw the trio that Naruto hung out with arrive and stand around him.

"I can't believe you failed!" Sakura yelled.

"It's disgraceful and weak." Gaara stated coldly.

"You're an idiot." Sasuke sneered. Mizuki saw Naruto's face fall with every comment, and there were more after Mizuki stopped really paying attention. But what he didn't stop paying attention to was the look on Naruto's face. He'd always wanted to see the Kyubi brat look like that. Miserable and alone and friendless was what a monster should be after all.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto was listening out for Mizuki to leave before he put a hand up and got Gaara, Sakura and Sasuke to stop yelling at him.

"You heard that in the trees right?" Sakura asked.

"Someone was watching us all this time." Sasuke replied.

"I think it was Mizuki." Gaara added.

"It was Mizuki." Naruto told them.

"Why would he watch us berate you and not try to stop us?" Gaara asked.

"Mizuki hates me. He sees me as Kyubi." Naruto replied. Sakura and Sasuke looked confused.

"I heard he tried to get Iruka to pass you." Sakura replied.

"He has a plan of his own. He's one of Orochimaru's henchmen." Naruto said softly. Sasuke frowned.

"I heard that he was a traitor to the village. I didn't know how he got caught or what he'd done." Sasuke said. He seemed to be thinking deeply about the situation.

"Didn't you ever wonder how I managed to pass when I failed the exam?" Naruto asked.

"Of course we wondered." Sakura quipped.

"We just never asked." Sasuke added. Naruto took a deep breath and told his three friends exactly how he'd passed the exam. What had happened that day in their timeline.

"We're going to be around in case things go wrong." Sasuke stated firmly. Sakura and Gaara nodded their agreement.

"Well, just don't interfere unless it's absolutely necessary. I know that Mizuki is going to escape from the prison at some point and I'd rather that he just hated me. I don't want him going after anyone else. He hates me and he hates Iruka-Sensei and there's nothing I can do about that. But there is something I can do to stop him going after anyone else." Naruto told the trio. They all nodded, knowing Naruto was just trying to protect them.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Mizuki sat on a roof, as he watched Naruto walked down the street, looking dejected. He waved at the boy, who smiled up at him, his eyes looked full of admiration for the Sensei who'd tried to help him. Mizuki smiled as the boy hopped up to sit next to him.

"Hi Mizuki-Sensei." Naruto said sadly.

"I'm sorry that Iruka-Sensei didn't pass you Naruto." Mizuki consoled. He wasn't, but he wanted Naruto to think he was.

"My Dad is going to be so mad at me. All my friends think I'm useless. They're not talking to me." Naruto said sadly. Mizuki smirked inwardly, as he patted Naruto on the shoulder.

"Well... I might be able to help you." Mizuki said gently. This was the point where, seeing Naruto's hopeful face looking at him that Mizuki told him all about the scroll of sealing. His false story about people who passed by learning a technique from the scroll was genius in his opinion. Naruto would steal the scroll from his own father and then Mizuki would end his life and take the scroll to Orochimaru. No one would ever realise that Naruto wasn't the thief. It was a genius plan.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

It was early evening and the sun had just set, as Naruto snuck into the Hokage tower.

"_I really hope Dad forgives me for this."_ Naruto thought to himself as he broke into his father's office and stole the scroll of sealing. He'd set the events in motion. Now he had to follow them through.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke, Sakura and Gaara went round to Naruto's home only to find the house in uproar. Kushina and Minato were rushing out of the house.

"What's wrong Uncle Minato?" Sasuke asked. Naruto's parents looked at the trio.

"Have you seen Naruto?" Minato asked. The trio shook their heads. They had been coming by to help him steal the scroll.

"If you see him, you have to tell us straight away." Kushina pleaded. "He's done something foolish and we need to find him quickly." She added. Then the Hokage and his wife were gone.

"Aniki?" The trio looked to see Tsuki looking miserably at them. She seemed to realise that Naruto wasn't there. That was when Hikaru appeared next to her.

"Sasuke-Nii will find Naruto-Nii Tsuki." Hikaru told Tsuki seriously. The two four year olds seemed confident as they looked at Sasuke.

"Hikaru, is Kaoru here with you two?" Sasuke asked. Hikaru nodded.

"Tenshi-Nee-San is looking after us. Itachi-Aniki is looking for Naruto-Nii." Hikaru replied.

"Stay here you two and help Tenshiko look after Kaoru." Sasuke told the two four year olds firmly. They nodded their understanding.

"When we're bigger, we're gonna follow you." Tsuki stated seriously. Sasuke sighed.

"For now, you two need to stay here okay?" Sasuke questioned. He wanted to make sure that the two girls understood what he was saying. They nodded and then Sasuke, Sakura and Gaara left, knowing where to go and look for Naruto. He had informed them earlier after all.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto was sat with the scroll of sealing. He sighed as he looked through some of the techniques. Most of them were child's play to him now. However he felt the need to do some training. He needed to look tired when Iruka finally found him. He knew Iruka would find him first. Iruka knew this place, and he knew Naruto very well. Naruto had managed to slowly bring Iruka back into his life, just as he had before, and Iruka knew him almost as well as his parents did. He heard the sounds of someone landing in a tree to watch him and he knew that Sasuke, Sakura and Gaara were there, waiting for everything to happen.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Iruka found himself heading into the forest to look for Naruto. He knew the boy very well. The idea that Naruto would steal the scroll of sealing was ridiculous. But he apparently had. Iruka knew there had to be a reason. He didn't need to search for long, as he found Naruto training. Naruto looked at Iruka and grinned cheerfully.

"Hey Iruka-Sensei! I did it! Come and see!" Naruto yelled cheerfully. Iruka walked over and saw Naruto make the signs for Kage Bunshin. Suddenly there were hundreds of clones. Iruka couldn't help being impressed. Naruto had learned Kage Bunshin in the time it had taken Iruka to find him, and that wasn't a long time. Then Naruto dispersed the clones as quickly as he'd summoned them.

"Naruto why on earth would you steal the scroll of sealing? Do you know how much trouble you're in?" Iruka asked Naruto firmly. Naruto looked confused.

"But Mizuki-Sensei told me if I managed to get the scroll and learn a jutsu from it that I'd automatically become a Genin, and graduate with all my friends." Naruto said cautiously.

"Mizuki-Sensei told you this?" Iruka asked in shock. He could see that Naruto wasn't lying.

"Yeah, he even told me where to find the scroll and this place to train." Naruto replied. Iruka's eyes went wide, as he heard something whizzing towards them. The threw Naruto down and covered him, as a giant shuriken hit the rundown wood cabin that had been behind them. Iruka stood up and turned around quickly, to see Mizuki standing on a tree branch, readying another giant shuriken.

"Looks like I'll have to take you both out. I never knew you'd find the little monster this quickly Iruka." Mizuki said coldly.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sasuke, Sakura and Gaara were still watching everything.

"I don't like where this is going." Sakura whispered.

"Neither do I, but Naruto seems to know where it's going at any rate. We have to trust him." Sasuke replied quietly.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"What do you mean monster?" Naruto questioned. Iruka would've done anything to shut Mizuki up, and stop him from ruining Naruto's childhood for good.

"You don't know? Of course not. Why would you know? After all, everyone hides the truth from you. You own parents wouldn't let you know the truth. They're probably scared of you." Mizuki said cruelly.

"What are you talking about Mizuki-Sensei? Iruka-Sensei what's he saying?" Naruto asked. He looked fearfully at Iruka, he didn't understand what Mizuki was saying.

"Mizuki! Shut your mouth! It's forbidden to tell him!" Iruka yelled.

"Forbidden to tell me what? Iruka-Sensei?" Naruto pleaded.

"Why parents won't let their children play with you. Why people shun you, and turn their backs when you come their way. Your parents always tried to hide it. It's the law that no one can tell you. Although I'm sure that you've heard plenty call you a demon." Mizuki hissed.

"Mizuki stop this!" Iruka yelled angrily. Naruto still seemed confused.

"I don't understand." Naruto said softly.

"Do you not remember being told about the Kyubi that attacked the village?" Mizuki questioned.

"Of course I know. Everyone knows. It attacked and it was defeated by the Shinobi of Konoha." Naruto replied.

"But it wasn't defeated. Not really. Your father's student, Obito Uchiha, used the Reaper Death Seal to give his life and seal the Kyubi inside of you. You are the Kyubi." Mizuki stated cruelly. Iruka looked at Naruto carefully. He grabbed hold of Naruto's shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"Naruto, whatever Mizuki says, it doesn't matter. I certainly don't believe that you're the Kyubi. Your parents don't. It's true that the Kyubi was sealed inside of you, but that just makes you the container, not the beast." Iruka said seriously. Naruto nodded his understanding.

"I know Iruka-Sensei." Naruto replied. Then he turned at looked at Mizuki. "You think you can hurt me when I know how much my parents love me? I know that I'm loved and I know that I'm not the Kyubi. Now, as a traitor to Konoha, I'm asking you to give yourself up Mizuki. If you don't I'll have to use force." Naruto stated. Mizuki glared at Naruto hatefully, while Iruka just watched in awe.

"Me? Give myself up to you? You're an academy student! You haven't even graduated! You think you could win in a fight against me?" Mizuki exclaimed. He started laughing. Naruto just grinned back.

"I don't have to fight you." Naruto replied. Then he made the sign for Kage Bunshin. Suddenly, there were hundreds of shadow clones all around. "My clones will do it for me." Naruto added. Then he sent the clones after Mizuki.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto grinned evilly as he saw his clones beat Mizuki to a pulp. After all, Naruto knew that if it were the other way round, Mizuki would kill them both. Naruto was just... incapacitating Mizuki to stop him from escaping and making sure he went to prison as the traitor he was. No matter how much Sasuke, Sakura and Gaara nagged him about it later on, he wouldn't ever admit that actually, he'd enjoyed giving Mizuki a beating without ever having to get his hands dirty. After all, he really shouldn't have been laughing inwardly at the sight Mizuki presented not five minutes later.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Iruka was impressed. Naruto's ingenuity and quick thinking had saved them both, and Naruto had just taken down a Chunin by himself. Iruka looked at Naruto who looked back at him. A sheepish grin was plastered on the boy's face.

"I guess I got a little carried away." Naruto quipped, a grin spread across his face. Iruka smiled.

"Naruto, close your eyes." Iruka told him. Naruto looked at him curiously for a moment before closing his eyes and waiting. Iruka took off his own forehead protector and tied it around Naruto's forehead. "You can open your eyes now." Iruka told Naruto. Naruto opened his eyes and looked at Iruka. "You pass Naruto. You graduate." Iruka told the boy. Naruto's eyes shone with happiness as he launched himself at his teacher, hugging him tightly. Iruka had a feeling that Naruto was going to change everything.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay all, that's the end of this chapter. I hope you all liked it. Please R&R and let me know what you think.


	18. Exchange of Information!

Okay all, here's the next chapter. Land of Waves will be next chapter. This chapter, you're all going to get some information on all sides of the fence. So buckle up for brain numbing information. LOL!

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Another Chance.

Chapter Eighteen – Exchange of Information!

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"So Naruto apprehended Mizuki?" Minato asked. Iruka and Naruto were both stood in Minato's office explaining what had happened.

"Yes Hokage-Sama. Based on the skills he used to apprehend Mizuki I've passed him on to Genin status." Iruka replied. Minato nodded and then looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, would you go and let your mother know you're alright? She's worried sick." Minato told his son firmly. Naruto nodded and left the room. That was when Minato looked at Iruka carefully. "Iruka, is there something else you didn't want to say in front of my son?" Minato asked.

"He learned the Kage Bunshin from the scroll in an insanely short amount of time. He also... I could be wrong, but he also seemed unaffected by Mizuki's revelation that he's the Kyubi's jinchuriki." Iruka told Minato carefully.

"What makes you say that?" Minato asked.

"He seemed like he didn't understand what Mizuki was talking about. In fact if I didn't know better I would swear he didn't understand Mizuki at all. But once Mizuki revealed that Naruto held the Kyubi inside of him, it was... something I can't explain Hokage-Sama. But it was almost as if Naruto had been waiting for Mizuki to say it. It just occurred to me now, Naruto seemed... completely at ease. I could be wrong but..." Iruka trailed off. Minato nodded.

"Thank you for telling me Iruka. I think I will be assigning Naruto to Kakashi's team. He'll be able to keep an eye on the seal, make sure that it doesn't break." Minato said softly.

"You think the Kyubi has been communicating with Naruto?" Iruka asked.

"I don't think it, I fear it. If Kyubi were communicating with Naruto and people were to find out, there would be attempts on Naruto's life. I will not allow people to attack my son for what isn't his fault." Minato replied.

"If you don't mind my asking, Hokage-Sama, who else are you placing on Naruto's team?" Iruka asked.

"Naruto's scores are the lowest in the class, which I don't understand because he's not stupid, but it means that I should place him with Sasuke, who's scores are the highest, making him the rookie of the year. Am I correct?" Minato asked Iruka. Iruka nodded. All these assumptions were correct based on the academy scoring system.

"If I might make a suggestion Hokage-Sama?" Iruka asked. Minato nodded and waited for Iruka to continue. "To balance the two boys out, I would suggest that Sakura Haruno be placed in the same squad as them. She seems to have a grounding influence on their tempers and she is the highest ranking girl in the class. She has a very high intellect. Sakura seems to be their perfect balancing structure." Iruka said. Minato smiled.

"I thought so too. I'm glad that you said it though. It means that I'm not just spoiling my son by placing him with his friends on a team. I don't need to be concerned about what any Shinobi of this village thinks, but I do need to be concerned about the council." Minato replied. Iruka nodded.

"I'd be more concerned about Danzo then I would about the others. He seems to have a tight hold over them. That and his founding of the Root organisation, within Anbu is worrying. Danzo is trying to convince the other council members to let him have his pick of the orphaned children in the village, to add to his crop of Root candidates." Iruka told Minato firmly.

"I was worried about that. He wants to recruit Itachi and keep Shisui, but I've forbidden him to harass them. They've been through enough. There's another boy, the same age as Naruto, he looks a great deal like Sasuke, I've seen him with Danzo, but I don't know his name." Minato said. Iruka nodded his understanding.

"I know him. He's an informant of mine. He doesn't have a name. Danzo doesn't give any of his operatives, names. They get numbers and codenames for missions and that's it. I'm worried about what will happen if Danzo gets any more power. Mizuki was one of his operatives before he decided to work for Orochimaru." Iruka replied. Minato nodded.

"I know. If I had thought for one moment that Mizuki was going to try and use a child to help him get the Forbidden Scroll I would've had you apprehend him sooner." Minato said.

"Hokage-Sama, do you think Naruto knew what Mizuki was up to?" Iruka asked. Minato had to think about that for a moment. Naruto was intelligent. He knew that Naruto had used his wicked intelligence before, and at all times to the village's betterment. Naruto and Sasuke always seemed to work together on these things, and usually, wherever the two boys led, Gaara, and now Sakura were sure to follow them. Could it be possible that Naruto had, in fact, known that Mizuki was a traitor? Had he guessed Mizuki's plans to use a child, who had failed the Genin test, to get hold of the Forbidden Scroll? If so, had Naruto, in fact, engineered his own failure of the exam, and stolen the scroll, all in a bid to capture Mizuki red-handed? It all seemed so impossible, and yet, Minato knew that Naruto and Sasuke both seemed to have the intelligence to pull such a plan off. Minato looked at Iruka.

"Well, Iruka, code name Owl, I know that you prefer to be in the Academy teaching, and I'm certainly not planning to remove you, but I would like you to try and keep an eye on Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. Gaara is going back to Suna very soon, so I can't really ask you to keep an eye on him after that, but until he leaves. Something isn't quite right with all of this." Minato stated. Iruka nodded his understanding.

"Do you still want me to keep an eye on the Danzo situation?" Iruka asked. Minato nodded.

"Of course, I also intend to ask Jiraiya-Sensei to keep an eye on Danzo as well. I've already rejected the bill Danzo put to the Council. I'm not sending unwilling children to him to train. I can already see him massing an army and bringing us to civil war." Minato said.

"Did Shisui give you any more information?" Iruka asked.

"The night he was put under mind control, he had overheard Danzo speaking to the Uchiha elders. He incited the coup himself apparently. He bought information to us to try and convince the council, including myself and Sandaime-Sama to agree to a mass genocide of the Uchiha clan. Though why he'd go to all the trouble of convincing the Uchiha clan to enact a coup and then try to convince us to kill them all is beyond me. He's been making elaborate plans behind our backs for years. I don't even know how far his influence reaches." Minato said.

"He knew about Orochimaru's experimentations if that's what you'd like to call them. He even provided some of the test subjects." Iruka said. Minato clenched his fists.

"Do you have any other information for me?" Minato asked.

"Danzo is still in contact with Orochimaru. That is how Mizuki got his information. The details of how they're in contact are sketchy at best. I get regular information feeds from the boy. Danzo places silencing seals on all his operatives after they turn twelve. Genin age means adult in Danzo's eyes. Apparently the applying of the seal is painful and not all survive the process. I would hope that you could do something about this before it gets to serious." Iruka replied. Minato took a deep breath.

"I can understand why Danzo is so paranoid about his operatives talking, but I'm hoping to shut down this operation before any more children end up with irreversible seals on their bodies." Minato replied.

"Their tongues, Hokage-Sama." Iruka stated. Minato looked at Iruka in shock. "The seals are placed on the tongues of operatives so that no one can ever see them, the back of the tongues near the windpipe. The boy told me about it, when he saw it done to someone else." Iruka added. Minato sighed.

"Thanks Iruka. You do a good job, but how do you know that this boy is trustworthy?" Minato asked.

"I had him speak to Inoichi Yamanaka. Inoichi put a truth telling Jutsu on him before he left. It's hard to do, and Inoichi told me it's dangerous to use on older minds. But he's young, so there is much less risk. Getting rid of Danzo is the best thing we can do for those children he's managed to take into his care." Iruka said. Minato nodded.

"I understand. I'll have to talk further to Inoichi and Ibiki. Shisui is a member of Root, just like you're a member of Anbu, but I won't allow Danzo to take him from his home and desensitise him, like an animal that needs training." Minato replied. Minato looked at the clock on the wall. "I think we both need to get home. You are certainly going to need some sleep before dealing with all the new Genin. In three days time, we'll have all the sheets ready for you to tell the new Genin's their team assignments." Minato told Iruka. Iruka nodded and left the room. Minato then cleared up his desk, with a heavy heart. Danzo was more serious an opponent then Minato had considered, though having Iruka watch him was one if Minato's better ideas. People made assumptions that Iruka was just a small time Chunin academy teacher. Nobody ever suspected it when Minato had recruited Iruka into Anbu as a spy, to keep an eye on any strange happenings in the village, and that was the way Minato wanted to keep it. Only a select few even knew that Iruka was a member of Anbu. In fact, only Jiraiya and Sarutobi knew about Iruka's position in Anbu. Inoichi and Ibiki had never seen Iruka without his mask, they had no idea that the seemingly mild-mannered teacher was actually an Anbu operative, and that was the way Minato wanted to keep it. At least for now.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"So that was why you did it?" Sasuke asked. Sakura and Gaara nodded in agreement with Sasuke.

"Yeah. If I hadn't, then Mizuki would've been suspicious. I couldn't risk him going to someone else. If he had, then Mizuki may have gotten the scroll and killed some poor innocent little kid at the same time. I had to make sure it happened the way it had before. I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys. I didn't want to make it too obvious, and I wanted you guys to be a little pissed at me for not giving you the info. That way, when you did what I asked, rejected me, the anger would look real." Naruto replied.

"You're a Dobe." Sasuke quipped irritably.

"He's smarter than anyone gives him credit for. At least, he's smart for a Dobe." Sakura added. Sasuke gave Sakura a slight glare while she laughed at the look on his face. Gaara and Naruto just smirked.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Orochimaru sat in his lair, writing on a piece of paper and thinking about the information he'd just received. Mizuki had failed and been captured, by Naruto Uzumaki. Orochimaru was glad he hadn't left Akatsuki. He had their resources at his disposal now that he had set up Oto as a village. He then called Kabuto forward.  
"Yes Orochimaru-Sama?" Kabuto asked.

"I want you to find Kin, Zaku and Dosu, and also, your little friends. When the next Chunin exam happens, you will be going to infiltrate and gather information. I am going to decide who I want as a new vessel. I have so many to choose from." Orochimaru said.

"Will I be infiltrating as a Konoha Shinobi or an Oto Shinobi?" Kabuto asked.

"You and your two friends will infiltrate as Leaf Shinobi. I want Kin, Zaku and Dosu to represent Oto in the exams. I want Konoha to know Oto is a presence." Orochimaru replied.

"Will you be at the exams?" Kabuto asked.

"After I've spoken to the Kazekage I will be. In that time, I want you to gather information on the skills of each candidate on this list." Orochimaru handed the piece of paper over to Kabuto without a flourish. Kabuto looked at the list and read the names aloud.

"Shisui Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Namikaze... Naruto Namikaze? He seems... lacklustre to me Orochimaru-Sama. Why would you pick him as a potential vessel?" Kabuto asked.

"The boy is the son of Minato and Kushina Namikaze. He must have inherited a great deal from his parents. Kushina is one of the famed Uzumaki family, like Nagato, our esteemed leader, and the girl, Karin. You understand what I'm looking for within the boy I assume?" Orochimaru commented.

"The almost limitless chakra and healing abilities of the Uzumaki clan I'm assuming, along with any skill levels." Kabuto replied. Orochimaru nodded.

"You make sure to keep an eye on anyone of interest. I will be going to see the Kazekage within the week." Orochimaru said, dismissing Kabuto with a wave of his hand. Kabuto bowed and left, thinking about certain things as he prepared the arrangements Orochimaru had asked him to.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"We only have so much time Nagato. Madara seems unbeatable." Yahiko told Nagato seriously.

"I know that Yahiko. What would you suggest?" Nagato shot back.

"I suggest that we get the hell out of this craziness. If Madara finds out we're not on his side, he will kill us all. I'm not afraid to die, you both know that." Yahiko said, as he gestured to Konan. She nodded her understanding. "But if we're dead then we're of no use to help Jiraiya-Sensei, and we certainly won't be able to help get rid of Madara. We've managed to set free every Jinchuriki we've captured so far, but our luck won't last forever. Most Jinchuriki are aware of Akatsuki's threat, but we need to find a way to protect them indefinitely." Yahiko finished.

"So we leave. Where do we go?" Konan asked.

"Konoha of course." Nagato replied.

"As much as I'd like to, we still need to figure something out about the Jinchuriki. Killing them is pointless, and even if we did manage to kill most of them, there are two that we won't be killing at any time, Naruto and Gaara." Konan said.

"So what are your thoughts Konan?" Yahiko asked.

"Have you heard of the Island of the waterfall of truth?" Konan asked. The two men grinned.  
"We're going to see a giant sea turtle?" Yahiko asked.

"Technically. If we train and face the waterfall of truth, we may find the answers that we're looking for." Konan said. The trio made an agreement to leave in the morning. Once they had finished their training at the waterfall of Truth, they would return to Konoha with, at least, some answers. If not, they would at least, hopefully be stronger.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay, so that's the end of that chapter people. I hope you liked it. Please R&R and let me know what you think.


	19. Two Missions

Okay, so here is the next chapter of Another Chance. I hope you all like it. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and who added me to their faves and alerts lists. I really appreciate it. Anonymous reviews are below.

**CREAMPUFF:** Thanks loads for reviewing. As for the prison filler arc, IF I even bother to say anything about it, I won't even spend a chapter on it. But it's still a part of the series, although I do have an idea to on how to just... bypass it? But that's not for a while yet. I'm glad you like the fic so far.

**randomkitty:** Thanks so much for reviewing. I'm glad you like my added twist in the last chapter and I hope that you enjoy this chapter too.

**narutofan:** Thanks loads for reviewing. You will get some more Naruto family time. Maybe not for the next couple of chapters, because we're now getting into the Land of Waves Episodes, but you will be very soon. I'm glad you're interested in what's happening now and I hope this chapter isn't disappointing.

**666blackcat666:** Thanks loads for reviewing. No worries about being hyper. I'm hyper 90% of the time so I don't complain when other people are hyper. LOL! I also own an Ipod. Mine is Orange, because... well because I love the colour orange. LOL! Anywho, I hope this chapter lives up to expectations.

**():** Well, seeing as you are nameless for some reason LOL! Thanks loads for reviewing. As for Kyubi, I suppose loads of people spell it differently. I've stuck to one u mainly because that's how I've seen it translated when I read Manga or watch Naruto in Japanese with subs. I might be wrong, but I couldn't tell you the definite spelling for sure myself. As for Sakura, while her role isn't as prominent as Naruto and Sasuke's role in the story, she's still got a role. Also I very highly doubt that this story will turn into Yaoi. I have written Yaoi fics with Sasu/Naru in them, but I don't think this is going to be one of them to be honest.

**():** I don't know if this is the same person as above, if it is sorry about the extra, but there are two anonymous reviews with just brackets on my chapter six, so here's a reply at any rate. I know I made a mistake with the ages of everyone during the cloud ninja incident. I did apologise for that in the next chapter. But poetic license allows me to mess up sometimes, however, I also included a point from Kyubi in the fic to say that things had changed in their timeline anyway and that while some things stayed the same some things were also different, so just give me a little creative license and allow me my one mistake. LOL! Also, Sasuke and Naruto didn't have families for years, so knowing how to act around them would be difficult. I know if I was suddenly thrust into a situation that I'd never been in I'd be uncomfortable and impersonal at first. If you carry on reading after this chapter, they become less impersonal and interact more with their families. Thanks for reviewing. I do appreciate your point of view and I hope I've addressed your questions properly.

**GIRL OF PARADISE:** I'm glad you think my writing is good and I'm also glad you like the way the story is turning out so far. Thanks loads for reviewing.

**YY:** Thanks so much for reviewing and for reading. (nods) I hope you enjoy this update.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Nineteen – Two Missions.

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The group were huddled together before the choosing of the teams. Gaara knew he wasn't being assigned to one here in Konoha, because his father wanted him back in Suna.

"You know what to look out for Gaara." Naruto told Gaara firmly. Gaara nodded.

"I have a bad feeling that I won't be seeing my father when I get back. Something feels wrong." Gaara replied. The others nodded, knowing that Orochimaru had killed Gaara's father in the first timeline didn't mean that they could prevent it in this timeline. They had no idea when Orochimaru's murder of the Kazekage actually took place, so changing it was something they couldn't do. They were all hoping that Gaara would be able to find out more information and let them know what was going on, before his father was killed, but Gaara seemed to think the deed had already been done.

"What makes you think that he's gone?" Sakura asked gently.

"It was the message that was sent to my Uncle. It didn't sound like my father at all. The handwriting was his, but not the words. It didn't seem right." Gaara replied.

"We'll find a way to make things right Gaara." Naruto said sadly. Gaara shook his head.

"You can't bring back the dead Naruto. But we'll find out a way to bring Orochimaru to justice." Gaara replied. That was when the rest of the class started arriving, and the group of four walked into the classroom.

xXxXxXx ONE WEEK LATER xXxXxXx

Gaara was with his Uncle, ready to leave. He would be going back to Suna and he made a promise to keep in touch with Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. The group had come to the gates to say goodbye. Sakura's mother was saying goodbye to Gaara's uncle. He would apparently be coming back. Gaara didn't really want to leave Konoha. He'd had a second chance at a good childhood here and he didn't really want to leave it behind, but he knew, just as the others did, that if he didn't go back there would be no way to gain any information on Orochimaru's attack on the Chunin exams. The group all felt a twinge in their guts as they said goodbye. It seemed too strange to be saying goodbye now.

"We'll see you soon Gaara. Just remember that." Naruto told his red-haired friend, as they were about to depart. Gaara smirked.

"Just you remember, Naruto Namikaze, I expect to hear from you before I see you again." Gaara replied. Team Seven watched as Gaara left with Yashamaru along the road out of the village, all of them feeling a sense of loss.

xXxXxXx ONE MONTH LATER xXxXxXx

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were trying to get through as many of the boring missions as they possibly could. You had to do so many after all, to become a Chunin, and they wanted to enter the Chunin exams. They also knew that the mission to the Land of Waves would be coming up soon. It was soon enough that Naruto wanted them to be allowed to go. The team had already discussed what would happen when the right time came. They knew the date thanks to Kakashi, they knew it was coming soon. A matter of days would lead them to saving the Land of Waves again. Only this time they had no idea who they would be fighting. After all, Zabuza was now a member of the Hidden Leaf village. Haku and Suigetsu made up a team with Karin. Sasuke and Naruto had found Karin when they had travelled with Minato, Kushina and Mikoto on another peace mission to the hidden Rain village. She was all alone and Zabuza and Anko had added her to their mismatched family of misfits. The trio had managed to skip a year and were already Genin, with Zabuza as their Jonin Sensei. Anko was apparently pregnant again, and mad as hell that she couldn't go and do all the normal missions she normally did. The group were determined to get the one mission they wanted. When Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura had discussed the situation with Jiraiya and Itachi, and also Gaara via messages, they had all figured that with Zabuza not being the one they would face this time around, it would be extremely difficult to discover who their opponent would be. However, the thought had crossed their minds that Akatsuki might just take the job. They were mercenaries for hire after all. But Jiraiya had received a message two weeks ago that Nagato, Konan and Yahiko had left Akatsuki on a special mission, hoping to bring information as well as their services back to Konoha. So they were blind on that front. All they had to do was wait a few more days.

xXxXxXx MISSION DAY xXxXxXx

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura went to meet Kakashi at the bridge, finding him waiting for them, which happened more often, now that the group new to turn up about two hours after Kakashi told them to meet him. Sometimes they got there on time and most of the time they still arrived earlier then he did. But today was a rare day when he was the one waiting for them, which still made them all smirk as they saw the harassed looking Jonin pacing backwards and forwards on the bridge.

"Hey Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto called. Kakashi glared at the trio as the laughed.

"When your Sensei gives you a time to turn up, that's when you should be here." Kakashi stated.

"Why? You're never here when you say you're going to be. Besides, you wouldn't know if we turn up on time anyway because you're late all the time." Naruto replied. The trio were still laughing as Kakashi ordered them towards the Hokage Tower to get their mission.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Minato and Iruka were sat with Sarutobi handing out missions when Team Seven arrived. Iruka looked down the D rank listed missions, but found there were only two left. One of which had just gone to team nine. The other was now between team eight and team seven.

"Iruka-Sensei! Old Man! Dad! Do not give us those boring D rank missions! We've done them all a million times! Give us something more challenging!" Naruto exclaimed loudly.

"Naruto! Behave!" Sakura yelled. Sasuke just snorted and turned his head to the side, though Iruka, Sarutobi and Minato could see Sasuke agreed with Naruto.

"How about a guard duty mission? A C rank mission?" Sarutobi said suddenly. Minato and Iruka stared at Sarutobi curiously. The trio of teens looked at Sarutobi curiously.

"What mission?" Naruto asked.

"Where would we be going Hokage-Sama?" Sakura asked, far more politely.

"Are you talking about this mission to the Land of Waves, Sandaime-San?" Minato asked. Sarutobi nodded.

"It might be a good experience for them, and for once, Naruto is right. They have exhausted all the D rank missions. Team eight, however, haven't had nearly enough babysitting duty." Sarutobi replied. Team eight didn't say a word, but Kiba looked ready to yell that anything Naruto could do, he could do better. Hinata blushed and pressed her thumbs together, while Shino stayed silent. Minato looked at the eager face of his son and sighed.

"Kushina's gonna kill me for this. Kakashi does your team accept the mission?" Minato asked. Kakashi grinned under his mask.

"Of course we do, Minato-Sensei." Kakashi replied. Minato reluctantly handed over the scroll and called in Tazuna the bridge builder. Just like that, the group had somehow managed to get the mission that was always destined to them.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay everyone, that's the end of this chapter. Next chapter they head off to the land of waves. Now a quick question for you all. Do you want events of the Naruto movies to be involved in this fic? Yes or no would be highly appreciated. Please R&R and let me know what you think.


	20. Journey To The Land of Waves

Okay people, here's the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and to those who added me to their faves and alerts lists. I am extremely grateful.

Now for the votes. So far the voting for Naruto movies being involved in this fic are,

For: 9

Against: 6

For Naruto Movies, but not Shippuuden: 1

For Shippuuden movies, not Naruto: 0

Not really bothered/Doesn't mind either way: 1

So it looks like I will be including the movies. But I am going to make it clear right now that

1, I'm not making it exactly the way you've seen it. The idea is that things will change. Not just because Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura (minorly) want to change things, but because the fact that Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Gaara all travelled backwards in time, via Kyubi weirdness jutsu, has already caused a ripple effect that has changed things throughout their timeline. So things they think will happen, may not happen at all, or not in the way they expect it to. This in its self will make the plot different.

2, there were things I didn't like about the movies. Don't get me wrong, I quite liked the first two Naruto movies, well, the Land of Snow and Waterfall village movies. I did not find the Stones of Gallell movie all that great, and while I liked some of the ideas behind the Crescent Moon Kingdom movie, and the first Shippuuden movie, I didn't like Bonds and I haven't watched any of the other Shippuuden movies (Dark Tower, Will of Fire, Blood Prison or Road of Ninja) so I'll have to watch those before I decide what, or if I can do anything worth writing with them. Although it'll be a while before I get to those. LOL!

3, I will not spend twenty chapters on a movie. I am not going into every single little detail. It's just not happening. If I feel the need there may be two chapters chronicling events from a movie, but most likely I will use one specifically long chapter for the each movie, and they will turn up where I think they fit chronologically. I don't intend to do anything too special, or make any magnificent plot point coupons appear in movie chapters. But if I do, I'll let you know at the top of the page, so that those who DO NOT want to read the movie chapters can feel free to skip, unless there's a specific plot point that you should read in the chapter. In which case, there will literally be an Author's Note at the very start of the chapter saying PLOT POINT AHEAD – PLEASE READ, so that you know to bother with the chapter. So I'm trying to be fair to everyone here at this point.

Anywho, now that I've cleared that up (hopefully, if you have questions feel free to PM me or ask in reviews). Replies to anonymous reviewers are below.

**narutofan:** Thanks loads for reviewing. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one too.

**666blackcat666:** I'm glad you like the idea of involving the Naruto Movies. I have to admit that I've only watched the first two Shippuuden ones. I can't say I liked them all that much. But it's just my opinion. My cousin loved them however. She's driving me crazy asking me to find them on DVD. Anywho... thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Guest:** Thanks for the review. I can understand your reasoning, however I've also heard good reasoning to involve the movies, in the sense that Naruto having political ties with other nations (however fictionalised) might actually be a good thing for later. Also some people just flat out like the idea. (nods)

**Yu-Chan:** Thanks for reviewing. I'm sorry for taking so long. Life, writers block and various other things have kept me away from my computer, though most recently, I've been visiting my Grandma back and forth in hospital with a bad chest infection. So I have been rather busy. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

**Zaan:** Thanks so much for reviewing. Of course you're right, with Zabuza and Haku good now, they have to have another strong enemy. Of course I'm not going to tell you who that is, but you'll find out soon enough. Maybe next chapter, but I won't promise. Anywho, as for Sasuke getting hurt, that's also something you'll just have to wait and see about. I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.

**Guest:** Thanks so much for reviewing. I'm glad you think it's adorable and funny. I like to try and add some humour between dramatic scenes. LOL! I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter too.

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Another Chance

Chapter Twenty – Journey To The Land of Waves.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were almost outside Naruto's front door when they heard it.

"_Minato Namikaze! How dare you send my son on a mission out of this village!"_ Team seven stared at each other and then back at the door, as they heard the yelling of Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze.

"_I will kill you for this Minato!"_ Sasuke's eyes went wide.

"Was that my mother?" Sasuke whispered.

"_It was Sarutobi's idea!"_ Minato yelled from inside the house.

"Yes... Yes it was. Now we have one more question that needs answering." Naruto whispered back.

"_If Sarutobi told you to feed our children to a rampaging bijuu would you agree to that too?!"_ Kushina yelled.

"What's that?" Sakura joined the whispered conversation.

"_Of course not! But come on Kushina-Koi Naruto is a Ninja now, so is Sasuke! We can't wrap them up in cotton wool! They were going to leave the village on missions eventually!"_ Minato exclaimed.

"Do we take the chance of going in there and coming back out alive, or do we just run until everything's calmed down?" Naruto replied. The trio looked at each other.

"_I was expecting later Minato!"_ Mikoto yelled.

"_Exactly! And don't you Kushina-Koi me! I'll kick your ass if anything happens to my baby!"_ Kushina yelled. The trio shuddered.

"I think we should... possibly... go and bug Iruka Sensei. He's much calmer than your mothers." Sakura told both Naruto and Sasuke, very quietly. That was when they heard footsteps coming. The trio dived into the bushes, and peeked out, to see an angry, pink haired woman striding up the pathway to the front door. Then she banged on the door loudly.

"Minato Namikaze, you open up so I can kill you! Who told you to send my Genin daughter on a mission out of the village?" Sakura's mother yelled at the door.

"Oh crap! Who told my mother?" Sakura squeaked out in a half whisper. Naruto and Sasuke both looked at her and then at her mother before shrugging.

"We've been with you all day remember? We didn't get a chance to tell her anything." Naruto defended. That was when Kushina opened the door.

"We're already yelling at him Kimiko! Wait your turn!" Kushina exclaimed.

"Hey! I have one child left in the world! I get priority yelling time!" Kimiko exclaimed back.

"We need to get the hell outta here before they notice us." Sasuke whispered. As the trio snuck away through the brush, they heard more snatches of the argument.

"_Minato you're an idiot! Who made you Hokage? They're untrained Genin!"_ Mikoto yelled.

"_And Sakura's still too young to leave the village!"_ Kimiko yelled.

"_And Naruto is our only son!"_ Kushina yelled.

"_Mikoto, if you remember I was made Hokage by Sarutobi! Besides, Sarutobi was the one to give them the mission! Kimiko, you knew this sort of thing was going to come up sooner or later with Sakura following in her father's footsteps! Kushina we DO have another child! Speaking of which, where are the kids?"_ Minato asked.

"What was that about our mothers not being calm? You know, how Iruka Sensei is much calmer then our mothers?" Naruto asked Sakura once they had gotten a safe distance away.

"Okay I'll rephrase that. Iruka Sensei is calmer then _all_ of our mothers. Are you happy? Now let's get to high ground before our mothers come looking for us." Sakura stated. Naruto and Sasuke stayed silent as they followed Sakura to a safer vicinity. At least they hoped it would be safer.

xXxXxXx THE NEXT MORNING xXxXxXx

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were all very uncomfortable by the time they had arrived at the gates out of the village. Their mothers had sobbed over them with many variations of the words 'They're growing up so fast' being said over and over. When they saw Tazuna waiting for them at the gates they weren't sure if they were happy or not. They had yet to prove themselves to him in this timeline, so he was likely to be unpleasant for a little while at least. As they started out of the village, Naruto couldn't help feeling that slight rush of excitement he always felt when leaving the village for a mission. It had become a part of him and he had missed it. Leaving with his parents for peace talks was not the same thing at all. He could see Sasuke and Sakura felt the same way. Strangely enough, they had a clear journey. Where they expected to meet the Demon Brothers of the Hidden Mist, they didn't. But this didn't surprise the group too much. The demon brothers had defected with Zabuza. Without Zabuza to lead them it wasn't likely that they would have ended up here in the first place. In fact, it was more likely that they were still in the Hidden Mist village. What did bother them was that they had no idea what they were facing. Once they made their way to the sea, where they would be taking a boat across to the Land of Waves, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi all began to feel anxious, wondering what would be waiting for them when they got to shore on the Land of Waves. They could only wait and see.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay, that's the end of the chapter. I hope you all liked it, and I will be updating soon hopefully. Please R&R and let me know what you think and I'll see y'all next time I update.


	21. A Different Type of Prison

I just feel like asking if anyone went to watch "The Great Gatsby" starring Leonardo DiCaprio at the cinema. I did with my 'sister from another mister' BF and not only was it quite epic, the soundtrack was just banging! Like it was so awesome. Search it out on youtube. (nods) Feel free to comment.

Okay all, here's the next chapter of Another Chance. I know I've been taking ages, but I wanted to get a few chapters ahead, I got writers block, life happened. All sorts of things. But I do hope that everyone enjoys this chapter. Replies to anonymous (guest) reviewers are below.

**RedKama:** If this fic sucks, why did you review exactly? And why keep reading for nine chapters just to tell me you think it sucks? BTW if you're gonna say something sucks, at least give a reason why. Your personal dislike doesn't count, just for reference, because not liking something doesn't mean it sucks, it means you don't like it. Other people like this story, so therefore personal dislike means it doesn't suck.

**SparklyButterfly42:** Thanks so much for reviewing. I'm not sure whether or not I feel sorry for Minato, mainly because I'm the one who wrote the scary moms. LOL! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Cheesecake:** Thanks for reviewing. I loved their hiding antics too. Mainly because that's how I used to hide with my brother and my cousins when we were kids, hiding for everyone yelling. It saved us a lot of trouble. LOL! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**narutofan:** Thanks for reviewing. I know you always do, but I shall thank you anyways. And yes, I do feel sorry for Minato, even though I wrote it that way. LOL! I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

**Vortigon83:** Thanks so much for reviewing. I'm glad that you like what I'm doing. I do try to account for each character's personality, even though those personalities might change with different events happening. However, I wouldn't think that any character would change too much. As for the writing thing, I take writing quite seriously. It's something I love doing and I'm actually trying to get published. Fanfics are my fun time, but I also research everything I do. I hate to make huge glaring mistakes that would never occur with proper research. (nods) I don't mind you using the idea of Kyubi being capable of sending people back in time. To me, the thought was that Kyubi is the strongest Bijuu and it makes more sense that he would be able to do something like that if I want to make the idea more logical. So please, feel free and go wild. Send me a link to your fic when you post it and I'll be happy to read and review and let you know what I think.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Twenty-One – A Different Type of Prison.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The group were making their way to Tazuna's house. Everything seemed too easy. It was grating on Team Seven's nerves. They all knew that it shouldn't be this cut and dried getting Tazuna home, because Gato would not give up on getting rid of Tazuna, and even with no Zabuza and Haku, there were plenty of mercenary Shinobi, looking to turn a tidy profit out there. That was when Sasuke noticed something odd. He saw a few white spiders, making their way under Tazuna's feet. It gave him an odd image before he wrestled Tazuna out of the way.

"Get to high ground! Those aren't spiders!" Sasuke yelled. Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi just managed to dive out of the way before the spiders exploded. The group looked rather unhappily at the craters where they might have been without Sasuke's observance. Naruto frowned.

"_This is a really familiar fighting style."_ Naruto thought to himself irritably.

"Un, how did you little Genin know to move out of the way. All that beautiful art wasted." The group looked to see a blond man, wearing a blue cloak. It was most definitely Deidara.

xXxXxXx SUNA xXxXxXx

Gaara frowned as he listened in to the conversation going on in his father's office. But it was not his father. Gaara knew straight away that it was Orochimaru, pretending to be his father. Obviously his father had not intended to betray Konoha, and had been killed as a result. Now Orochimaru was masquerading as the fourth Kazekage, to get the Shinobi of Suna to attack Konoha. Gaara clenched his fists as he heard what was going on in the office.

"I can't just let you run off back to Konoha. Who will control Gaara?" Orochimaru said.

"Gaara doesn't need controlling, Kazekage-Sama." Yashimaru replied. Gaara felt a deep anger welling up inside him. He didn't like that his Uncle's happiness was being toyed with for Orochimaru's gain. He decided to write a message to Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. They needed to know the truth of the situation. He needed them to know that his father was not a traitor. For reasons Gaara couldn't explain, this was more important than he could say.

xXxXxXx LAND OF WAVES xXxXxXx

"Deidara of Iwakagure? What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked. Deidara glared.

"I'm rogue if you hadn't noticed, un! Just move aside, let me kill the old man and let me get back to my art un, you won't win against me anyway." Deidara replied.

"We don't give up so quickly on missions in Konoha." Sasuke stated. Naruto and Sakura gave Sasuke looks that begged for answer they knew they were not getting at this moment.

"So, one of your little pipsqueaks speaks. Do they do tricks too? Maybe they understand the need for good art." Deidara asked cheerfully.

"Look, we need to get Tazuna home and protect him. We're not just going to give up and let you kill him, you know." Sakura said blandly. Naruto frowned at Deidara.

"I don't get why you want to kill Tazuna in the first place. It's not like you haven't got better things to do." Naruto stated. Deidara glared at the group.

"That's it. You three have bigger mouths then you should, for Genins. Well, maybe this will shut you up." Deidara stated. With that, a few hand signs were made, and Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura found themselves surrounded by clay walls.

"This is where the difference is happening? Kakashi is the one on the outside and we're in a clay ball." Sasuke stated. Naruto shrugged.

"It could be a hallucination." Sakura said.

"Of course it could, but so could life in general." Sasuke replied.

"Well Kakashi-Sensei had better be able to think of a way to get us out of this before we end up dead." Naruto said.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay, that's the end of this chapter. I'm sorry, it's short and sweet but I wanted to get it up and I'm so awful at writing fight scenes. I thought I'd change it up a bit by having the kids in a clay prison jutsu, rather than Kakashi in a water prison jutsu, and I threw in some Gaara too. Please R&R and let me know what you think and I shall try and update as soon as possible.


	22. Role Reversal

Okay, so here is the next chapter of Another Chance. I hope you all enjoy it. Now we're getting back to the Land of Waves and Team Seven in a clay ball. Fun yeah? Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and to those who added me to their faves and alerts lists. I am extremely grateful. Replies to anonymous reviews are below.

**narutofan:** Hi narutofan. You always review ad I love you for it. Thanks for the review, and yes, a clay prison does sound more dangerous in theory. LOL! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Another Chance.

Chapter Twenty-Two – Role Reversal.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kakashi glared at Deidara.

"I would rather you not put my students in clay balls. They might not be able to breathe." Kakashi stated. Tazuna looked at the two men, wondering what on earth was going on.

"If they can't breathe, they can't talk, un! You train brats this is what happens!" Deidara exclaimed. Tazuna looked at the clay ball, wondering if the three children were alright.

xXxXxXx INSIDE THE CLAY BALL xXxXxXx

"You realise that seeing as this is Deidara we might just get exploded right?" Naruto said.

"Not likely. Deidara likes to make pretty shapes when he's blowing people up. Art is a bang remember?" Sasuke shot back.

"Isn't it Art is a blast?" Naruto asked.

"Who knows." Sasuke replied. Sakura sat on the floor, sighing as she listened to the argument.

xXxXxXx OUTSIDE THE CLAY BALL xXxXxXx

Kakashi tried a frontal attack, but Deidara's concentration never slipped. Kakashi looked at the clay ball, wondering if his students were alright. Deidara glared at Kakashi.

"If you let me kill the old man I'll let the little brats go. It's a good deal un?" Deidara said. He was getting fed up standing around. Kakashi was also getting fed up with not knowing if his students were alright.

"I'm not letting you kill Tazuna. He's building a bridge. That's a form of art. You should be able to appreciate it." Kakashi said. Deidara frowned.

"Art is something that passes by in moments." Deidara replied. Both Kakashi and Tazuna rolled their eyes.

xXxXxXx INSIDE THE CLAY BALL xXxXxXx

"Got any fours?" Sakura asked.

"Go fish." Naruto said. Sakura sighed as she had to pick up more cards. She looked at Sasuke.

"Got any twos?" Sakura asked.

"Go fish." Sasuke stated.

"Why are you guys so good at this game?" Sakura yelled.

"We had a lot of time to practise card games when we weren't allowed to train." Sasuke said. He looked at Sakura.

"Got any sevens?" Sasuke asked. Sakura cursed as she realised she did. They were all bored sitting around in the clay ball. Sakura jumped up from where she was sat, the cards flying everywhere.

"That's it! Kakashi-Sensei is taking way too long!" Sakura yelled, before concentrating her chakra into her hand. Sasuke and Naruto both dived to the side as Sakura leapt forward, her fist smashing the clay into dust. Sasuke and Naruto looked wide eyed at the giant hole in the clay, as Sakura jumped out. Naruto collected his pack of cards and then he and Sasuke jumped out too. Both not whistling a tune, as they looked at Kakashi, Deidara and Tazuna.

xXxXxXx KONOHA xXxXxXx

Minato was looking over some papers when an origami bird landed on his desk.

"What is this?" Minato asked. He opened it to see a message scrawled inside.

_Yondaime Hokage, _

_We would like to meet you and Jiraiya just outside the village gates in one hour. We have a great deal of information that you should know._

The note was not signed, and Minato wasn't really sure of what he should do with it. That was when Jiraiya arrived.

"Ah! A message from Konan! When did you get it?" Jiraiya asked. Minato looked at Jiraiya in confusion.

"Uh... a few minutes ago. Who is Konan?" Minato asked.

"An old student of mine. Don't worry too much. So one hour? We've got plenty of time." Jiraiya stated.

"You want me to meet them?" Minato asked.

"Of course." Jiraiya replied.

"How do you know who sent the damn thing?" Minato asked. Jiraiya grinned.

"I always know Minato. Don't worry. I have a feeling you're going to want to hear whatever Konan has to say." Jiraiya said.

xXxXxXx THE LAND OF WAVES xXxXxXx

Sakura was fuming as she looked at Deidara.

"Look blondie! You locked us in a clay ball for how long? Do you know how bored I was? We were playing Go Fish and I was losing!" Sakura yelled. Deidara just looked confused. He looked at Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi.

"Is she always this temperamental un?" Deidara asked.

"Usually." Kakashi answered. Sakura's face went red from anger.

"I'll give you temperamental!" Sakura yelled, as she gathered chakra in her hand and made to hit Deidara. Deidara jumped out of the way just in time. He was horrified when he saw the crater the girl had left behind.

"That was lucky." Deidara said.

"_Very_ lucky, for you at least." Tazuna said, looking awed by the strength of Sakura's punch.

xXxXxXx SUNA xXxXxXx

"Uncle Yashimaru?" Gaara asked, as he walked into the house. Yashimaru didn't look happy.

"What's wrong Gaara?" Yashimaru asked. Gaara took a deep breath.

"I think someone is impersonating my father." Gaara told his Uncle firmly. Yashimaru looked at Gaara curiously.

"What?" Yashimaru looked as confused as Gaara expected him to.

"Haven't you noticed he never comes home? When we see him he's always wearing his full Kazekage robes, even the face mask. That's not normal for him." Gaara stated. Yashimaru took a deep breath and looked at Gaara in the eyes. He could see Gaara was sincere.

"Gaara, are you sure about this?" Yashimaru asked him. Gaara nodded.

"Something is not right Uncle. He's not even acting the same as usual. There are all these... talks... now aren't there?" Gaara asked.

"You've been listening in at Council meetings haven't you?" Yashimaru asked his younger nephew. Gaara nodded and looked Yashimaru in the eyes.

"I'm worried, Uncle Yashimaru. I don't want us fighting with Konoha. Especially not on the say so of an imposter." Gaara said. Yashimaru nodded.

"I don't know what we can do Gaara, but try to get proof. If we can do that we can reveal this imposter." Yashimaru told his nephew firmly. Gaara nodded.

"Mission accepted." Gaara said before leaving the house, leaving Yashimaru worrying more about his younger nephew.

xXxXxXx THE LAND OF WAVES xXxXxXx

Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura surrounded Deidara from all sides. As they went on the attack, Deidara didn't seem happy. He was dodging Sakura's chakra infused fists, Kakashi's Chidori, and Sasuke's fire jutsus. That wasn't even including Naruto's Shadow clones. Tazuna seemed to be watching everything that was going on, with one of Naruto's clones protecting him. Deidara knew he wasn't going to win this battle. He made some spider bombs, threw them under his opponents' feet and then when they dived out of the way to avoid the blasts, Deidara retreated. He knew he would have to come back another day to finish the job, with more of a strategy. He hadn't expected Genin from Konoha to be as strong as they were.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Okay all, that's it for this chapter. I will be updating as soon as I can. But I wanted to give team seven the few extra days to get to know Tazuna and Inari and y'know, all that stuff. Waves will be ending either next chapter or the chapter afterwards. But I hope you're all enjoying it at any rate. Please R&R and let me know what you think and all that jazz, and I'll see y'all the next time I update.


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